With respect to the first question, we have to distinguish the problems in francophone institutions from those in bilingual institutions, because they are quite different.
In the bilingual institutions, the glaring problems are related to the issue of assimilation, even if the courses are provided in French. Because student life is predominantly lived in English, students who arrive at the post‑secondary level will very often develop a network that is mostly English‑speaking, be it their circle of friends, the network of professors or the university network. It will also follow them.
At the same time, what we often see and hear from students is that programs are not always offered in French in those institutions, and that it depends on the program. At the University of Ottawa, programs are offered in French when there is a critical mass of students, but in other programs, if the university considers that it does not have the critical mass, the students will have to take certain courses in English. If they want to do their studies in French, it will take them five or six years instead of four. These issues are significant for students, and taking courses in English contributes to the assimilation once again.
In francophone institutions, the problem is a little different. We were talking about it earlier, in terms of the funding disparity. Funding is often based on the number of students enrolled and the number of courses and programs offered. But francophone institutions are often in small, rural and remote communities. This must be taken into consideration.
Clearly, the other aspect that must be taken into consideration is the reputation of the universities. Francophone universities, such as the Université de l'Ontario français, which was created from scratch, or even the Université de Sudbury, which exists but is less well known because it comes under the umbrella of Laurentian University, will not have the same reputation, nationally and internationally, as institutions such as York University and Queen's University.
Finally, when we talk about funding, it must also be for research. I'm sure Mrs. Cardinal will be able to speak to that as well, because our problem is that professors are often encouraged to publish in English because more can be published as a result and more money goes to the university. This is the case in bilingual institutions. It means that there are fewer teaching materials in French.
As for the question of whether students should play a greater role in the universities, we think that is obvious. It would allow for greater accountability. It would also allow for more dialogue and collaboration on decisions. In bilingual institutions, it would allow for separate anglophone and francophone representation, rather than having one common body that sometimes speaks more for the majority than for the minority.