Evidence of meeting #38 for Official Languages in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was federal.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
René Arseneault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
When you say the budget is approximately $120 million, is that for the three New Brunswick campuses?
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Université de Moncton
Yes, I'm still talking about the three campuses.
Liberal
René Arseneault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
Fine.
Of the total funding for the three campuses, 75% comes from the Province of New Brunswick. Is that in fact what you said?
Liberal
René Arseneault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
Does that 75% envelope include the federal contribution from OLEP or other programs?
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Université de Moncton
No, the OLEP portion represents 5% of our funding. That funding is allocated to special projects, which must be carried out and which contribute to the Université de Moncton's activities. It may be used to promote student recruitment or to develop French-language research. These are the types of projects that are implemented with federal government support. We can't use that funding to pay our operating costs.
Liberal
René Arseneault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
All right. I see.
Could you explain to me how the bilateral agreements reached between New Brunswick and the federal government work?
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Université de Moncton
Just as my colleague from Campus Saint-Jean mentioned, it's always hard to collect the provincial half of the 50-50 federal-provincial funding.
For two years now, the provincial government has refused to make the $2.5 million per year contribution that was included in the letter of agreement negotiated between the government and the Université de Moncton. I had to exercise pressure to get the funding released, and that reduced the deficit substantially.
If the government had stuck to its position not to release the funding, that would have put us in a tenuous financial position. The provincial government assumes that its contribution is included in its operating budget or core grant. It's not considered as additional funding.
Liberal
René Arseneault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. That $2.5 million was the amount granted for last year. Is that correct?
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Université de Moncton
It was for the past two years.
Liberal
René Arseneault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
The Higgs government in New Brunswick refused to pay the $2.5 million contribution it was required to make under the federal-provincial agreements. Is that correct?
Liberal
René Arseneault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
Did that money come from the province's coffers or from the federal government via the province?
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Université de Moncton
It was an additional contribution from the province.
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Université de Moncton
We get the federal contribution regularly, but the provincial government is normally required to add its share. It's that share that it refused to release on the ground that it was included in its core grant.
Liberal
René Arseneault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
Once again I'm going to ask you the question that we put to officials last week.
Is the federal share paid directly by Ottawa to the university, or does it have to go through the province?
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Université de Moncton
The federal share goes through the province, with the exception of the portion that goes to the Consortium national de formation en santé, or CNFS. For that program, it goes through a third party and is paid directly to the university.
Liberal
René Arseneault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
Mr. Prud'homme, we have just witnessed some unfortunate events involving Laurentian University. I'm an alumnus of the Université de Moncton. As you said earlier, 87% of students stay in the province. We contribute to the economy, and it's incredible.
The changes that have occurred in the past two generations as a result of the university are very important to me and to the entire community.
How can we make sure the Université de Moncton has a balanced budget in future?
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Université de Moncton
There's no secret there: we have to adjust our spending based on revenues, and the only way to increase our revenues is to raise the number of students.
International recruitment is one of our strategies. We're currently recruiting the maximum number of students in New Brunswick. Some 35% of high school graduates attend the Université de Moncton, 30% go to community college, and another 30% stop studying after high school.
The only solution is to recruit more Canadian and international students and to lower tuition fees for those students.
Liberal
René Arseneault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
Have you managed to discuss recruitment strategies with provincial representatives?
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Université de Moncton
We've done that. At the province's request, we submitted a scholarship plan designed to reduce tuition fees over a 10‑year period, which would let us admit approximately 150 more students every year and thus approach our objective of admitting 1,000 more students in the next four years and being able to absorb the increased costs.
I will close by saying that, if the measures we are introducing don't have the desired effect, it's only a matter of time before what happened at Laurentian University happens at the Université de Moncton.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Thank you, Mr. Prud'homme and Mr. Arseneault.
Mr. Beaulieu, go ahead for six minutes.
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My first question is for Mr. Mocquais from the University of Alberta.
Mr. Mocquais, when Ms. Risbud, the president of the Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta, or ACFA, appeared before the committee, she explained that $8 million was to be transferred under a federal-provincial agreement and to be used to renovate the Lacerte and McMahon pavilions. According to Ms. Risbud, the province has not yet released its $4 million share of the funding.
Has that funding been released or is the province still refusing to do so? If the province is refusing to release the money, what justifying arguments has it advanced?