Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Good morning, committee members.
I'd like to begin by noting that we are gathered on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
Thank you for inviting me to appear before you today. I am accompanied by colleagues from the department: Timothée Labelle, Julie Boyer and Isabelle Mondou. They are regulars on the committee.
Colleagues, it's a pleasure for me to be with you again to talk about federal funding for post-secondary institutions in official language minority communities. This is a crucial issue for our communities. Guaranteeing access to quality post-secondary education in the minority language is a major asset for developing communities, improving employment prospects and alleviating labour shortages in many fields.
Personally, I've had the opportunity to enjoy a stimulating and comprehensive university environment in French in Alberta, in Edmonton, at Campus Saint-Jean, thanks to official bilingualism and our Canadian linguistic duality. I say it often, because I'm proud of it. When I was a student, I was elected to the campus student council, and three years later, to the presidency of the student association representing the entire campus, which numbered 25,000 students at the time.
In 2005, I was invited to teach and, as a lecturer, I taught an introductory politics course and an introductory government course.
Also, in 1997, I was part of the Chorale Saint-Jean as first tenor, and we'll be singing at Carnegie Hall, New York, on June 29.
This is the reach that our beautiful francophonie has across the country.
Our minority-language post-secondary institutions are essential to our country's success. I mentioned Campus Saint-Jean, which I know well, but it's not the only one. Collège Mathieu, Université de Moncton, Université de Saint-Boniface, Bishop's University, and I could go on. There's a whole network.
Many post-secondary institutions in Canada's minority communities are experiencing funding challenges because of their small size and unique challenges.