Official Languages Committee on Oct. 28th, 2025

[Judy Romaric Sessua Kuengou]

Thank you for your question.

We receive our funding through the Department of Canadian Heritage. It was increased by about 20% last year and this year, but it is still not enough. We know that the funding allocated to Nunavut is a lot more, but we do not know the exact amount. We have asked the local government several times how much it receives and what percentage of that amount is being allocated to us, but we did not get an answer. That is one of the difficulties or challenges that we are facing.

The local government told us that part of the funding goes to majority schools because they offer French classes two hours a week. These schools are located in 25 communities in Nunavut, while we have only one school in Iqaluit. We get a share of the funding and the other 25 schools also get a share. We are trying to figure out how this works, but we have not had any luck yet. That is the challenge we are facing.

We need to find a way to get the school boards involved so that they have a place at the table, so that they know how much is in each envelope and so that they understand the distribution formula. That is important.

[Louis Villeneuve, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Please excuse my ignorance. You're saying that you're asking for this information but that you're not getting any answers. Are you simply being told that they do not wish to answer you?

[Judy Romaric Sessua Kuengou]

Our questions are ignored. It is a polite way of saying that they do not want to answer us. We do not know who to ask at the federal level because we do not have a direct agreement with the Department of Canadian Heritage. The Government of Nunavut is our only contact. There is no transparency.

[Louis Villeneuve, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Thank you. That is interesting.

This is not really about funding, but the committee often hears witnesses say that many families have a really hard time finding a school nearby. I looked at the statistics and it seems as though this is rather complicated.

Could you tell us about this situation in your school board's jurisdiction, in Nunavut? Are the schools spread out? Are they located close to where people live?

[Judy Romaric Sessua Kuengou]

Each of our communities is a small territory. For example, in Iqaluit, children are able to get to a French school in 10 minutes. However, outside of Iqaluit, there are no French schools or services offered in French. Those who live far away do not have access to them. All of these rights holders or children of these rights holders go to the same school as most people.

We are trying to see whether we could offer online courses. It is not the ideal solution, but we want to start there. We have already started identifying communities where there are children of rights holders to see how we could at least start with this approach. Then, we will ask the local government for additional funding for school infrastructure so that we can offer French-language education services.

I want to point out that over 70% of the funding for expanding the schools that we have in Iqaluit comes from the federal government. We hope to have as much funding to grow in Nunavut.

[Louis Villeneuve, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Thank you.

I think my time is up, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Exactly. Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve.

That concludes the first hour of our meeting. On behalf of the committee, I thank the witnesses who are attending in person for travelling here, and I want to thank those who are attending virtually for their testimony. The committee is very grateful to you all.

We thank you very much.

We will suspend the meeting for a few minutes to give the members of our next panel time to take their places.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

I would like to welcome you back to the sixth meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages.

We are now ready to hear from our second panel of witnesses. From the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne, we welcome Martin Normand, president and chief executive officer, and Catherine Rousseau, program manager, early childhood education. By video conference, we welcome Isabelle Côté, from Simon Fraser University. Ms. Côté is the deputy director of the Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs, and senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education.

Each organization has five minutes to give their opening remarks. That will be followed by a question and answer period with the committee members.

Mr. Normand, you have five minutes.

[Martin Normand, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

With the government having set itself the task to build a single Canadian economy by eliminating interprovincial barriers and attracting the best talent, it is important to reiterate what our communities have observed. Francophone and bilingual post-secondary institutions in minority communities are setting themselves up to be key players in the development of a united, resilient and innovative Canadian economy. The diverse learning environments that they offer promote the acquisition of lasting bilingualism and the technical and digital skills needed in a rapidly changing labour market. These institutions support access to an active service offering and meet labour needs in key sectors. Many studies corroborate these facts: People educated in French are more mobile, they are more likely to work in jobs that require knowledge of French and they have higher-than-average incomes.

In a francophone minority context, post-secondary education plays an essential role in the education continuum by ensuring the transmission of language and culture to younger generations. Our members enable families and their children to get an education in French throughout their lives, pursue careers in French and contribute to the growth of their communities. The education continuum, supported by francophone institutions, is key to linguistic and cultural development and to the transfer of knowledge that ensures that individuals can fully participate in professional and civic life.

In our communities, early childhood is the gateway to this continuum. The period from birth to age six is a key time for learning French and building identity. Attending early childhood education centres helps strengthen French language skills, promotes well-being through self-confidence and ensures the transmission of French within communities. As a result, there is a direct correlation between access to quality early childhood education services in French, with properly trained and valued staff, and the development of francophone minority communities. However, the early childhood education sector is experiencing a significant shortage of qualified staff.

According to a recent study that we commissioned, by 2035, over 22,000 educators could be needed to respond to the potential demand. However, depending on several factors, including training and working conditions, at that time, there will likely only be 11,000 educators who will report speaking French regularly as part of their work. That means that there will be only half as many French-speaking early childhood educators as needed to give a place to all eligible children in 2035.

To address this shortage, the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne, or ACUFC, is focusing on recognizing the work, expertise and training of early childhood educators. Training is the cornerstone of effective recruitment and long-term retention of qualified staff in the early childhood sector. Initial training and professional development are at the heart of this approach. They are essential for promoting the profession, meeting the sector's growing needs and ensuring quality services for children and families. By focusing on these professionals' expertise, the ACUFC is working to strengthen their sense of belonging and investing in their well-being and career prospects in the sector.

To that end, last week, the ACUFC held the first national early childhood educator appreciation week in francophone minority communities. More than just a celebration, this week aims to encourage engagement, promote the profession and raise more public awareness of early childhood educators' commitment.

The ACUFC reaffirms its commitment to ensuring the long-term recognition of early childhood educators with an annual event that is fun, inspiring and meaningful. This is made possible through funding from the Government of Canada under the official languages action plan.

I will close by making three recommendations.

First, the federal government must make sustainable investments in initial and ongoing training in early childhood education, build the capacity of French-language educators and strengthen support for them.

Second, the federal government must support the production of evidence-based data and knowledge mobilization to support needs, best practices and outcomes in French-language educational institutions.

Third, the federal government must strengthen the capacity of francophone and bilingual post-secondary institutions in minority communities to offer innovative, accessible programs that are tailored to regional realities and that have sufficient capacity to meet labour force needs.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Thank you, Mr. Normand.

Ms. Côté, you have five minutes.

[Isabelle Côté, Deputy Director, Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs, and Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the committee members for inviting me to testify.

I am here today as a representative of the French programs at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.

I will provide a bit of background. Twenty years ago, the federal government, in partnership with the Government of British Columbia, decided to provide real support for French-language post-secondary education to create a continuum of education in the language of the minority. Simon Fraser University chose to spearhead this important project for the francophone community. It was within this framework that Simon Fraser University's Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs was created.

The office manages the federal funding obtained through bilateral agreements between the Department of Canadian Heritage and the province for programs in the faculty of arts and social sciences and in the faculty of education. The faculty of arts and social sciences offers a baccalaureate program in public and international affairs, while the faculty of education offers a teacher training program, two master's programs and a doctorate program. We also have teacher recruitment and retention initiatives.

Simon Fraser University is the only post-secondary institution in western Canada to offer master's and doctorate of education programs in French that address specific issues related to language and literacy in minority communities. I would like to point out that master's programs are needed to strengthen leadership capacities in schools and communities from kindergarten through to the end of high school, since a master's degree is required for all administrative positions on school boards.

The French education team has created a francophone leadership hub in western Canada for the research and post-secondary training needed for the vitality of the community. Compared to the communities in other provinces, this community is small, representing only about 1.6% of the population. However it is very active, and more importantly, it is growing. For example, the French school board is made up of about 6,000 students, 47 schools in urban and rural communities, and 1,200 employees. As for French immersion, we have over 55,000 French immersion students in the school system.

I would like to point out that British Columbia has only had a structure to support the post-secondary education continuum for 20 years, so we are still playing catch-up.

In closing, I would like to remind the committee that our university is only able to offer post-secondary programs in French thanks to the funding provided by the federal government under the official languages in education program, or OLEP. It is very important to note that one of our biggest challenges is the freeze on OLEP funding, which has been in place for 10 years, despite growing needs and ever-rising costs.

For us, federal government funding for post-secondary education is essential to the vitality and vibrancy of our francophone minority community.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Thank you, Ms. Côté.

We will now go on to questions from members.

Mr. Godin, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Ms. Côté, I'm going to get right to the heart of the matter. You said that OLEP funding has been frozen for 10 years.

Are you saying that the Liberals are bragging that they provided an additional $1 billion for official languages but you haven't received any increase in 10 years?

[Isabelle Côté]

Core funding remains the same but there's a bit of a shortfall in terms of ensuring wage increases for faculty members.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Ms. Côté, I understand that funding has been frozen for the past 10 years. Is that correct?

[Isabelle Côté]

Yes.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Okay. Thank you, Ms. Côté.

Mr. Normand, I'm going to touch on a sensitive matter. This week, the media published a complaint that you filed with the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada. The news was publicly announced and the Commissioner agreed with you.

Subsection 44.1(1) of the Official Languages Act, which received royal assent in June 2023, states as follows: “The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration shall adopt a policy on francophone immigration to enhance the vitality of French linguistic minority communities in Canada, including by restoring and increasing their demographic weight.”

Does the issue that you discussed in your complaint that you submitted to the Commissioner of Official Languages go against what the act says?

[Martin Normand]

That was one of the things we indicated in the complaint to the Commissioner.

It is important to note that the policy on francophone immigration stems from this section. In that policy, the federal government committed to increasing the number of francophone international students within our network of institutions, which did not happen following the announcements made in January 2024.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Would you say this is a roundabout way for the current government, which has been in power for 10 years, to slowly starve post-secondary educational institutions in order to get access to a pool of francophone students?

[Martin Normand]

I don't know if I would use those words.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

You might be more tactful.

[Martin Normand]

Indeed. I can tell you that our institutions had to react quickly to a series of announcements. There was the cap set in January 2024. Then, other announcements followed, such as on raising the minimum income threshold that must be proven and the eligibility for the post-graduate work permit. The teams in our institutions had to adapt to a rapidly changing situation. They showed resilience and had to support students who were very worried and stressed by the situation.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Can you tell us about the short-term and medium-term consequences of the government's sudden decision regarding francophone immigration?

[Martin Normand]

International students allow institutions within Canada's francophone community to expand their cohorts and offer additional programs. Some regions are not large enough in terms of their population levels to allow institutions to offer a full range of programs. As a result, international students make up for this shortfall.

At the same time, increasing the types of programs available also improves the services offered to Canadians. It's harder for our institutions, which have a limited range of programs, to attract students. Therefore, the presence of international students makes it possible to address this factor, which is one of the key factors in the choice of where to pursue post-secondary education.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

I understand that this provides some stability to the institutions.