Evidence of meeting #121 for Official Languages in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was schools.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Thank you, Ms. Dance and Ms. Maisonneuve.
For the next round of questions, the next two parties will have five minutes each.
We'll start with the Conservatives.
Mr. Dalton, you have the floor for five minutes.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much to the witnesses for being here with us today.
Ms. Maisonneuve, I have a lot of family in your area, from Grande Prairie to Falher and Slave Lake. There are even some Maisonneuves living there. We may be related.
You represent a French-language school board. I read a little bit about the NorthWest Francophone Education Region. You serve Catholic schools, right?
Board Chair, NorthWest Francophone Education Region
Our school board is made up of three schools; one is Catholic and the other two are public.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Okay. Is the Catholic school in Falher? Where are the schools located?
Board Chair, NorthWest Francophone Education Region
The Catholic school is indeed located in Falher. The two public schools are in Peace River and Grande Prairie.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Okay.
I have a lot of memories from that area. My father was in the military. I didn't live there, but I visited often in the 1960s and 1970s. At the time, families were very big, and everyone spoke French. Nowadays, families are much smaller, farms are much larger, and fewer people speak French.
Is the number of students declining because of demographics, or is it staying the same?
Board Chair, NorthWest Francophone Education Region
Numbers have definitely declined since then. In recent years, I believe the population has remained fairly stable, with no notable increase or decrease. There are certainly far fewer people in remote areas than there used to be.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Are there more and more children from immigrant families?
Board Chair, NorthWest Francophone Education Region
There aren't as many as in cities, but there are more and more of them, especially in more urban centres, such as Grande Prairie, where the immigrant population is quite large.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Does the vast majority of the money come from the province? Is the federal funding amount significant?
Board Chair, NorthWest Francophone Education Region
The federal grants that we receive through the official languages in education program allow us to offer programs to our students that wouldn't be possible otherwise. For example, we offer cultural activities in all our schools, which is important for identity consolidation and acquisition. We also offer a leadership course, for which the students receive credits. We fund half of the kindergarten program, as the province funds only half. We also offer professional development courses. Finally, the grants allow us to do some promotion and marketing. Those grants are—
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Thank you. I'm sorry to cut you off, but I would like to ask more questions.
Do you have any partnerships with high schools that offer immersion programs? These partnerships could include other courses, programs or sports, for example.
Board Chair, NorthWest Francophone Education Region
It doesn't happen very often, but I'll let Ms. Kropielnicki answer that question.
Superintendent of schools, NorthWest Francophone Education Region
There are no exchanges of services with immersion schools.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Mr. Laberge, you said that 87% of the funding came from the federal government. Do your students pay tuition?
Conservative
President and Chief Executive Officer, Educacentre College
I'm not sure I understand your question.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
For example, for a student at Simon Fraser University, tuition fees make up about a third of total costs. Approximately how much is it for your institution?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Educacentre College
It's pretty much the same.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Okay.
Is the provincial government still turning a deaf ear? You have been deemed a private institution, but you would like to be a public institution. Is that what you want?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Educacentre College
That is our wish, yes.
Personally, I've been in my position since 2010, and I make this request every time I meet with representatives from the provincial government, but the answer is always no.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Thank you, Mr. Laberge and Mr. Dalton.
We're going to move over to the Liberals now.
Mr. Serré, you have the floor for five minutes.
Liberal
Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for being here today and making their contribution to our study.
Mr. Laberge, we conducted a more in‑depth study on post‑secondary education in May, so we have a good understanding of the challenges you raised. Even though the federal government has set aside a permanent envelope of $80 million, we're not sure that's enough to meet your needs if there is absolutely no support from the province. There is no doubt that there are major problems at the regional level related to the provinces' contribution.
That said, my questions today will focus more on early childhood. We all know how important that is.
You currently offer a training program for early childhood education. How many students are you currently able to take in? I understand that you don't have enough room to accommodate more. Second, what is the demand in the community? Do all graduates find a job immediately? Finally, how much money would you need to build up the necessary infrastructure and train more early childhood educators?
