Official Languages Committee on Dec. 4th, 2018

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks to the members of the committee for allowing me to sit with them and ask questions.

Thanks to the witnesses who are here with us.

First of all, allow me to provide a bit of history. My mother holds a bachelor's degree in social work from the Université de Hearst, which is affiliated with Laurentian University, as is the University of Sudbury. Your affiliation or federation plan is very interesting. It's sort of what people wanted: a kind of campus or satellite university.

My first question is a practical one, further to that of Mr. Choquette, and concerns the January 15 date and what would happen afterwards.

Let's say the federal government responds to your request and gives you 50% of the required amount, which is $8 million this year. Since you said you've already received $1.5 million, there would be a serious shortfall. Next year, in 2019-2020, you'd need $12 million, and the federal contribution would be $6 million. Suppose the federal government contributes up to 50% of the amount over the next four years. Could the project nevertheless advance without the province making a contribution?

Would that be tantamount to letting the province off the hook so it might respond by saying that the federal government need only provide its full contribution? What does that mean for you?

[Normand Labrie]

If the funding is granted and we can continue our operations, we'll stay the course and be able to offer our programs gradually. As I mentioned, the bachelor's degree programs we submitted to the ministry must be approved over the next few months so we can offer them in September 2020.

We're working on a certificate in the pedagogy of postsecondary education. Many university and college professors have no pedagogical training. The current trend is toward experiential pedagogy through skills acquisition. The Cité collégiale supports that approach and has 1,000 trainers who have to adapt to this new way of doing things. We have a plan, and the program is already developed on paper. So we could start offering it in summer 2019.

We already have a supply of programs in place. We have the authority to issue degrees, without going through the approval organizations, for the bachelor-level programs we have proposed. Consequently, we could open in 2020 and start by offering degrees in those fields.

We'll be able to start teaching and to begin scientific and academic activities as soon as we have the necessary resources.

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

You mentioned that you had until January 18 to sign the university's lease but that you no longer had exclusive access to the site. If you don't sign, you may have to find another location. What's your plan B?

[Normand Labrie]

Several months ago, we took steps to identify Toronto locations that were available and met our parameters. Infrastructure Ontario and the Avison Young commercial real estate company looked at provincial properties available in the Toronto area. Based on their analysis, the selected site was the only one that could be operational by September 2020, in addition to being the only one zoned for educational purposes. It takes a long time to process any application for zoning changes. So the site's ideal for us.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you very much, Mr. Lefebvre.

Mr. Généreux, you have the floor for four minutes.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Labrie, am I right in thinking this institution can still be established since the Université de l'Ontario français Act, 2017 hasn't been repealed?

[Normand Labrie]

You're entirely right. We're delighted the government elected not to repeal the act in the budget statement.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

That leads me to believe that the government's intention wasn't to completely abolish the university but rather to postpone its introduction.

Earlier you talked about favourable circumstances. Here you have a fantastic and extraordinary chance, and I hope you'll seize it. From what I understand, we're talking about approximately $80 million in funding over a period of 10 years. If the federal government is prepared to invest $40 million, then you'll have to come up with another $40 million. Have you considered raising $35 million from the private sector? Over 10 years, that would mean $3.5 million a year, a paltry amount. We discussed that earlier with Mr. Jolin. To get yourselves out of this crisis, you could tell the provincial government it would only have to provide $5 million over the next 10 years—that's $500,000 a year—and the project would be on its way.

I think Ontario has made a misguided decision that will truly undermine the project, but I think we can solve the problem. I did an online search on donations received by Bishop's University, in Sherbrooke, and I saw on its fundraising page that it had raised $40 million from 2012 to 2018, in addition to the $5 million in annual donations it receives. It has collected $60 million on its own, even though it's a small university.

I think you have an extraordinary chance here. Go and see Ms. Meilleur, the former Ontario Minister of Francophone Affairs, and ask her to head up your fundraising campaign. I guarantee you'll collect $3.5 million in three days. I can give you $100 right now. Wait a minute; I'll see what I have in my pocket.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

I'm going to pass the hat with Mr. Lefebvre.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

I'm sure you could go around the table and collect $1,000 right now.

The federal and provincial governments hold the keys you need. One of those keys is to accredit you quickly, not in six months, so you can issue tax receipts. That's the least the government can do. Here's tangible and immediate action that can be taken. Don't ask the Ontario government to give you money; just ask it to let you issue tax receipts. I can't believe they'll deny you that. These are things that can be done right now.

I got an arena built when I was mayor of La Pocatière. On January 1^st, 2007, I had no idea how I was going to raise $1 million, which was the private fundraising goal we had set for ourselves. On February 14, I and two other guys named Bernard, who were honorary presidents like I was, kicked off the "Un amour de projet" fundraising campaign with the Club des cent, which consisted of 100 mothers and grandmothers. We raised $1 million in six weeks in a town of 5,000 inhabitants.

When I talk about the momentum I see right now, I'm talking about momentum all across Canada. There are 622,000 francophone citizens in Ontario, but there are millions of francophones and francophiles in Canada. So we can do it. Quebecers are ready and would be enormously pleased to take part in your project.

I'll tell you one thing: don't miss this opportunity. It's here, and now's the time to move quickly. I'm convinced that, in three days, the federal government could take the necessary steps so you could issue tax receipts. You have to take advantage of the opportunity to raise money. That will help both the Université de l'Ontario français and the francophonie of Ontario. It will definitely tell you whether Doug Ford's government resents the francophonie or the university. There's a serious problem if it can't even invest $5 million over 10 years.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

There is one.

[Normand Labrie]

Thank you very much for those comments.

Yes, as a university, we can solicit large donations. That's certainly the approach we'll take.

Under federal-provincial agreements, there has to be a provincial commitment, depending on the nature of the program, and the 50% contribution must come from public funds.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

That's why I say the province's share of the funding could be allocated between the province and the private sector. I don't know whether the conditions set by the federal government allow it, but I think that would be a very quick and effective solution.

[Normand Labrie]

Universities elsewhere in the country have said they want to help us open in 2020 and have offered us free administrative services and courses in our fields of study. That offer's on the table.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Here's a cheque for $100. That's my contribution.

[Normand Labrie]

Thank you very much. I hope I'll be able to cash it.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Don't worry; the funds are there.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Oh! We have a first cheque.

[Normand Labrie]

We're currently working with the Université Laval and the Université de Montréal, which have made very generous offers to help us start up in 2020. We're also receiving gifts in kind.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

All right, thank you.

Mr. Arseneault, you have four minutes.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

I'm going to try to share my four minutes with Mr. Samson, who is so generous in that regard. I'll try to be as brief as possible.

I prepared over the weekend. We receive documents from the analyst that we can use to prepare for witnesses, and that includes you today. I'm sure there is one, but I haven't heard of any economic argument on the impact of a university in Toronto. I come from New Brunswick, I did all my university studies in Moncton, and I know very well that a university has a gigantic economic impact on a city.

I'm sure you've done that study on positive impact. In 30 seconds, do you have any figures for us?

[Normand Labrie]

I don't have any figures for you. In recent months, we've wanted to conduct that kind of study, but it wasn't possible, partly because of the budget restrictions we saw coming.

However, I can tell you that a study recently conducted by the Université du Québec network shows that every dollar invested in a university generates nine dollars in society. There are figures like that.

There's also the example of the Université de Moncton, which has helped structure New Brunswick's economy and develop the Acadian communities.

There are a lot of models like that. The same phenomenon that occurred in Acadie happened in Corte, in Corsica. The founding of the Université de Corse 40 years ago completely altered the region's economy.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

We don't have to reinvent the wheel. We mentioned little Bishop's University earlier. There's also the Université de Saint-Boniface, in Manitoba, the three campuses of the Université de Moncton and the Université Sainte-Anne, in Nova Scotia. All those examples could help you calculate specifically and objectively the economic impact of your institution. I'm sure the Ford government would find that economic impact on Toronto much greater than the minor contribution you're asking it to make over the next 10 years.

[Normand Labrie]

You're entirely right.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

I'm going to give the rest of my speaking time to Mr. Samson, but, before I do, even though we said there's never be any partisanship on this committee, I'm nevertheless going to leave you with two expressions from the time of Molière, whom I adore. The first is "On n'y voit que du bleu," meaning "We're letting ourselves be fooled," but we aren't fooled by Mr. Ford's argument. Consequently, and here's the second, "tirer à boulets rouges": keep attacking with all guns blazing.

I now turn the floor over to my colleague.