Official Languages committee  I'm going to correct you there. Actually, 2% of the total number of study permits issued in Canada are issued to francophone institutions. Of the 500,000 international students in Canada, 5,000 are in our institutional network, which represents 1% to 2% of the total clientele. On average, approximately 14% of the clientele of our institutions is foreign students.

Official Languages committee  There has been some relative growth, not the same growth—

Official Languages committee  Yes, that's correct. In 2018-2019, according to the latest figures we have, we had approximately 5,000 at our 22 institutions.

Official Languages committee  It's very anecdotal, but yesterday we heard that people were changing their plans to come and study at eight Canadian francophone institutions and that they instead intended to apply for study permits in Quebec because they felt they had a better chance of getting one. The announcement was made barely a week ago, but the message is already spreading through the international networks.

Official Languages committee  Yes, I absolutely think that. We'll come back to it later.

Official Languages committee  I obviously wasn't in the IRCC offices or that of Mr. Miller during the discussions and so can't determine whether he did. What we know, however, is that a review of the policies and measures pertaining to the international student program has been in the pipeline since last summer.

Official Languages committee  I actually mean that the study permits issued to students who will be studying in French outside Quebec wouldn't be affected by the cap that will be assigned to each of the provinces.

Official Languages committee  We aren't experts on the financial situation of each of our institutions. The people responsible for each of them will be able to answer you. The fact remains that there are challenges, and they are known to the public. Some concern the need for institutions to be able to rely on public funding so they can carry out their mission.

Official Languages committee  Many of our members establish connections with the various local economic development organizations, just as they do with the economic development agencies within the federal departments. There's a communication channel, and there have been discussions. All actors understand that the post-secondary educational institutions are part of their community's economic picture.

Official Languages committee  We conducted a study before the pandemic, and we know that there has been some growth since the health measures were lifted. Before the pandemic, we estimated that there were approximately 5,000 students at all levels in our institutional network. That's not 5,000 new students in our network every year, but 5,000 students who were studying there.

Official Languages committee  Once the provinces have determined how to distribute the study permits and the figures have been confirmed, we can say that the policy's introduction could result in a significant decline in the number of international students. There could be a significant revenue loss for all our institutions, mainly those located in the provinces where the established cap results in specific consequences.

Official Languages committee  I'll make a note of your comment. We nevertheless make sure to state that our 22 institutions are located in 8 provinces outside Quebec. We take care to indicate that. However, we cultivate relations with Quebec institutions and establishments to ensure that we exchange messages and expertize.

Official Languages committee  Our institutions would like to have additional resources in order to develop new programs to meet the needs of the market. Obviously, in some cases, new programs must be developed with professional associations. Consequently, negotiations must be conducted with those associations in the case of professions that are subject to standards.

Official Languages committee  Our institutions wanted to organize a nationwide discussion to examine the realities of minority life. Our institutional network has many connections with Quebec institutions. In particular, we at ACUFC have forged ties with the Université de Montréal, the Université du Québec network and the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes.

Official Languages committee  It was our members who decided there should be an association of all minority institutions.