Official Languages committee  We already have plans in place for a third phase of education capacity expansion so that the Université de Saint‑Boniface can accept more education students. To do this, we built a model by working with school divisions, not just the Franco‑Manitoban School Division, but school divisions that provide French immersion programs throughout Manitoba, including in the north.

Official Languages committee  It's a file—

Official Languages committee  About 33% of our students, so a third, are from FMSD schools and another third come from immersion schools. In addition, 10% of our students are enrolled in a master's program and 21% are from other countries.

Official Languages committee  I would say that's the case for both groups, but since you're basically talking about students from immersion schools, it's about a third of our student body. However, the vast majority of the classes we offer through our continuing education division, including to public servants, revolve around French learning.

Official Languages committee  Yes, absolutely. That's our mandate.

Official Languages committee  Université de Saint‑Boniface's roots go back to 1818, so we have a very long history. In the past few years, our programming has grown because we were allowed to increase our education capacity and the number of spots we had. We were able to enhance our capacity in both of our nursing programs, as well as in early childhood education.

Official Languages committee  That's a big question.

Official Languages committee  We still have work to do in order to identify all the programs, and we're conducting feasibility studies on that front. However, we also have to provide services and, above all, develop infrastructure to support student life on campus. We have excellent sports teams, but we need the infrastructure to support them, as well as all kinds of activities.

Official Languages committee  It's probably more straightforward in Manitoba, since we are the only francophone institution. As for funding for French education, I would have to check provincial reports to see how much goes to the Bureau de l'éducation française.

Official Languages committee  It's really interconnected, isn't it? If we want to add more programs, we need the appropriate infrastructure so we can accommodate a larger student body. We have to find a way to balance all that. We also need to make sure we have the capacity to serve that population. Linguistic insecurity is top of mind for us, but we should be offering all kinds of other supports.

Official Languages committee  Which programming do you mean?

Official Languages committee  As I see it, the two levels of government need to work hand in hand to find solutions and build that capacity. For us, early childhood education is another important piece. Right now, the province and the federal government have come together to give us the funding we need to enhance our capacity.

Official Languages committee  We've really gone through the wringer these past few months. International students make up 21% of our student body. We'd like to keep the percentage at that maximum level for a variety of reasons. International students are important. They contribute to the diversity and overall international experience of our students in Manitoba.

Official Languages committee  I would say it's very much driven by synergy. For example, Université de Saint‑Boniface created a social work program in response to a request that came from the community. Our nursing program came about the same way. We work closely with the community. We've even set up a round table, which, as far as I know, doesn't exist anywhere else.

Official Languages committee  Thank you. Yes, that funding is vital in order to truly be competitive and meet the needs of Franco-Manitobans and those who choose French immersion programs. To give you an idea, I can tell you that, over the past six years, enrolment in the school system has gone up 1.4%. Compare that with 2.4% for the Franco-Manitoban school division, or FMSD, and 9.8% for French immersion enrolment.