Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thanks to the members of the committee for agreeing to have me here this morning.
My name is Pierre Ouellette, and I am the president of the Université de l'Ontario français.
First I want to thank the Government of Canada for its innovative decision to provide 50% of the funding needed to start up our university, the first French-language university managed by francophones in central and southwestern Ontario.
I'd like to update you on what the federal government is getting in return for its investment in the Université de l'Ontario français, which was established in the midst of the pandemic.
Even though we are just starting our third year, our university already has 230 students.
This past September, we introduced a new teacher training program and have already enrolled twice as many students in it as we had anticipated. Next September, we will be adding a sixth program to our degree options, a specialized bachelor-level program in business administration, which will be offered in cooperation with the Collège La Cité. Shortly thereafter, we intend to add a mental health program, and, in the meantime, we are in the process of creating a specialized bachelor's degree in social work.
The new programs that the Université de l'Ontario français has created are in response to the pressing labour needs in the Canadian economy, more specifically in Ontario, and the shortage of French-language teachers across the country. Our programs can also accommodate the thousands of students currently enrolled in immersion programs in the greater Toronto area and the entire region, which will be a significant win for the development of the francophonie in Ontario and across Canada.
In research, the Université de l'Ontario français last week received confirmation that it will receive a UNESCO Chair in Migration and Francophonie in a Minority Context. Last week, it also established the Observatoire sur l'immigration francophone au Canada together with Toronto Metropolitan University and the Centre francophone du grand Toronto.
Francophones living in language minority communities across the country need to acquire, analyze and disseminate knowledge about francophone immigration in order to provide you political decision-makers, as well as researchers and practitioners, with data, analyses and tools designed to support and promote immigration.
Researchers must generate relevant knowledge based on everyday governance, like the movement that led to the founding of the Université de l'Ontario français in 2018. The future of the francophonie in Canada depends on the creation of this knowledge, which will guide the decisions that you will be making about immigration in the next few years.
As you can see, your investment, and that of Ontario, in the Université de l'Ontario français are already producing results, and we need to act quickly. Ontario's more than 600,000 francophones are by far the largest group of francophones outside Quebec. More than one third of that number, 36% to be more exact, live in central and southwestern Ontario. Continuing funding for the Université de l'Ontario français and its development will be critical in supporting the vitality of one of the largest francophone communities outside Quebec.
We are aware that French-speaking Ontario will grow in large part as a result of immigration. If francophone newcomers do not have access to a full range of services in their language, including high-quality university programs, they may be anglicized in short order, and that will weaken the francophone community.
The Université de l'Ontario français is building a tradition of university education in French in Toronto and the surrounding region, a long-term project that is essential to the development of our community. Continued financial support is a must.
The community needs the Université de l'Ontario français to support the development of the largest francophone community in Ontario. I believe that Canada also needs to continue supporting the development of a French-language university in the largest city in the land in order to support its identity as a bilingual country and the trademark image that is attached to it.
In the new Official Languages Act, Canada has committed to supporting francophones living in minority language communities so that they can acquire an education in their language throughout their entire lives.
We request that the government act on the recommendation made by the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne that it permanently increase the funding it provides to the post-secondary sector in official language minority communities to $80 million a year.
In conclusion, I sincerely want to thank the federal government for the support it has provided to the Université de l'Ontario français. The results of that support are already making themselves felt, and we are rapidly pursuing the institution's development. To continue playing a leading role in one of the largest francophone communities outside Quebec, to welcome francophone newcomers more warmly and to continue creating and disseminating knowledge in French across the country, we hope that our university can continue to rely on the federal government's financial support.
Thank you.