We recognize the support we have had to date and we are doing relatively well.
We have a number of challenges in Nova Scotia, where Université Sainte-Anne is the only francophone postsecondary institution. We are working in a majority anglophone setting, and this is a challenge within our own province. As well, we serve coastal and remote communities, as the only postsecondary institution in those regions.
We do everything in our power to conduct research activities in French and to offer services in French, while preserving Acadian culture and the francophonie.
As I said in my opinion remarks, we have to support our industries, be it aquaculture or fishing. A number of the people who work in fishing or aquaculture are francophones. We are a bit divided, since we have to conduct a certain number of research activities in English but we still have to meet the needs of our Acadian and francophone communities.
Small institutions like ours face a number of challenges. Université Sainte-Anne has only had is own research office for a year. We created it to try to support our professors, for submitting applications, for preparing them, but it remains a challenge, since our resources are limited.
One of the things the federal government could do is create a research assistance service to provide more support for our researchers in French. In fact, I think that was one of the recommendations by the états généraux des universités de la francophonie canadienne. The federal government could certainly do more of that to promote research in French and support the submission of applications in French in a way that is equitable with English.
As I said, we recognize the support that the federal government has given us to date, but there are still things that need improvement in order to support our researchers more.