I've said this before at this committee. I am not someone who is misinformed about the Canadian Constitution. Education is a provincial responsibility, but it's a false argument to say that it's exclusively a provincial responsibility. Research is an area of federal jurisdiction.
In addition, as a result of the obligations in the act and the regulations, the Canadian government assumes responsibility for supporting the strong institutions of the Canadian francophonie, including the post-secondary sector, which is mentioned here.
Because there is a lot of interaction between the federal government's actions and measures that could overlap with federal and provincial responsibilities, there is a possibility of conflict between a federal institution and provincial action, which could hinder the equitable deployment of positive measures in the post-secondary sector across the country.
First, we could imagine cases where a positive measure developed by a federal institution is applied in one province and not in another. In light of that, it is important to establish regulations that can close this loophole, or show that communities are at a disadvantage, as the federal government hasn't acquired the tools it needs to ensure that all communities have equitable access to the positive measures developed.
Second, the act refers to obligations in a number of places. Federal institutions are encouraged to develop positive measures on the development of information that can lead to the development of scientific disciplines. The scientific research that takes place at our institutions nourishes our communities and helps achieve social development objectives. It also has a significant economic impact locally. Without sufficiently robust regulation, we may miss out on a whole range of positive measures that are protected from government action.