Thank you for the question.
Ontario has seen a major recovery in terms of education in French. However, more remains to be done. When we lose an institution like Laurentian University and there is no way of replacing it, we would expect an institution for francophones to be established elsewhere, in Sudbury for example, where one is run by and for francophones. Access to education in French may well decrease.
At the University of Ottawa, about 15,000 francophone students succeed in reaching higher education, although, we agree, it is not always in French. However, the University offers a range of programs in French and we have just established a new undergraduate program in pharmacy.
But it is an ongoing problem. In Ontario, access to advanced studies is critical as a result of Regulation 17, as Mr. Poirier was saying. The problem exists all over the country, specifically in New Brunswick and Quebec. Francophones have some historical catching-up to do in terms of higher education. The situation remains fragile. We can see that access to post-secondary studies in French could very easily decline.
This requires constant action from governments, specifically provincial governments, because, as we know, higher education is in provincial jurisdiction. So it is tricky for the federal government to become involved. However, some provinces have to recognize their role in funding higher education in French.
The federal government has a role to play, which is why I proposed a policy to you earlier. Institutions in minority situations have one very important feature that is not found elsewhere. This is the role that these institutions play in the enhancement and the vitality of the communities. These universities and colleges have become the new cultural centres in the Canadian francophonie. The institutions are central to the arrival of immigrants and to relationships with employers.
Today, universities in minority situations are not simply religious colleges providing programs in canon law. Now, those universities offer a range of professional programs. We want young people to learn that vocabulary in French, so that they are then able to train the middle class in their fields.