Finance committee  Thank you for your question. Yes, the challenges of study permit processing and concerns about disproportionate success rates were certainly highlighted in the House of Commons report last year, as were the particular challenges for students applying from the Francophonie, with the therefore particular negative impacts on universities in Quebec.

Finance committee  Yes. I'll answer very quickly. I don't have that data with me, except to say that more than 50% of the usage of the food bank at Saint Mary's University is by international students. I can get a more detailed number to follow. Certainly, we also partner with other organizations.

Finance committee  We are certainly pulling that together across the region. I know that in the Halifax data we are seeing that. There are quick surveys of students that are being undertaken by Students Nova Scotia here in the province. Dalhousie University is in the middle of a survey process. We are pulling that data together.

Finance committee  I could not have said that better. Thank you.

Finance committee  Thank you. I very much appreciate those university connections in the room. Thank you so much. Yes, there certainly are challenges across our region in Atlantic Canada. I can speak for Saint Mary's University, where we maintained a wait-list on our residence but cleared it Labour Day weekend.

Finance committee  Absolutely, and we are a university that began a food bank approximately six years ago. It is well subscribed—oversubscribed—and overwhelmingly used by international students. They're in that food insecurity and housing insecurity situation. Certainly, there are opportunities for us to be working together in partnership with the three levels of government—municipal, provincial and federal—to find solutions and opportunities.

Finance committee  The third key point is related to demography, demographic change and population growth in our region. Our universities in Atlantic Canada enjoy an important role in bringing students from around the globe to our region. International students are key drivers of our research, our diversity and our building out the next generations of high-quality employees for Canadian businesses.

Finance committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I thank all the committee members for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Rob Summerby-Murray. I chair the council of the Association of Atlantic Universities. I'm also president and vice-chancellor of Saint Mary's University here in Halifax.

Finance committee  I'm not seeking more money this morning. Rather, I'm seeking increased eligibility and access to existing funding, particularly through the housing accelerator fund. The second is building a green economy. The key elements of what we have in our region for our universities include aging infrastructure, infrastructure that is not climate change-resilient going forward.