Mr. Chair, members of the committee, ladies and gentlemen, it is a privilege to be here to talk about the continuum of education, from early childhood to the post-secondary level.
For a long time, discussions pertaining to education took place mainly between the federal government and the provinces. In 1982, new players came onto the scene: school boards. They are often the only real place where our communities can truly have our voices heard. However, no francophone school board in the country is currently able to fully educate all its rights holders.
Let’s be honest: Everything starts in early childhood. That’s the key. We need more spots allocated to francophone services, better access to said services and better-paid, better-trained staff. Without these things, we’ll never make it.
I would like to talk to you about a situation I experienced back home in Saint-Jean. Nearly 1,000 rights holders do not have access to a spot in a French school. Because of a lack of spots and schools, these children are only integrated into the system gradually. That’s the sad state of affairs. That’s what I’m seeing, what I’m hearing, what I’m experiencing and what people are talking to me about. That’s where we’re at and it’s real.
When schools can’t accommodate their own rights holders, it jeopardizes our linguistic identity. The Acadian Society of New Brunswick, or SANB, is convinced that in order to preserve our identity, anything to do with early childhood must include the federal government, the province and the community. The community has to be at the table. That’s the key to attaining substantive equality.
The evolution of French-language education in New Brunswick and Canada has met many challenges and struggles. In 2025, we still have to fight for the very existence of our francophone schools. Today, New Brunswick’s Education Act has no constitutional basis. That is why the SANB is advocating for full school management, a model that would allow our communities, particularly elected school boards, to manage and control both the schools and the programs offered therein.
Francophone post-secondary institutions in minority communities across the country remain fragile. They are young and are still struggling to compete with the majority’s large institutions. This is the result of a history in which our communities have been pushed towards assimilation. This fragility makes it even more difficult to remedy the historical injustices weighing on our thriving communities.
When Father Clément Cormier and his collaborators founded an Acadian university, no one could have imagined that a simple constitutional amendment in 1982 would change our reality so much. This university, centred on the New Brunswick community, was created to train generations of Acadians. Let’s not forget that, in 1963, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms did not exist, nor did French immersion. Most francophone school boards in Canada had not even seen the light of day.
So how can we expect an Acadian institution to meet the growing demand for francophone schools across Canada? This reality puts enormous pressure on the training of teachers who will be working in our Acadian schools.
The numbers are a testament to this situation. While the major universities in the province have hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and donations, the Université de Moncton, our Acadian university, has much less. This confirms one thing: It will continue to depend financially on the government.
That’s why our first recommendation is to strengthen accountability for early childhood education, so that francophone day cares actually receive the funds earmarked for them.
Second, school boards must be allowed to negotiate directly with the federal government, since large sums are absorbed by provincial governments and do not reach those in need.
Third, ensuring predictable post-secondary funding is essential to the emancipation and future of our institutions.
I appeal to you, distinguished members of the committee: Let us work together. We ask you to act, co-operate and commit yourselves alongside us.
Thank you for your attention.