Official Languages committee  It's one part of the solution.

Official Languages committee  In the case of British Columbia, things are going well so far. As you know, the situation is not as easy for Ontario and Alberta, but I wasn't speaking on their behalf. So, in that sense, we need to find mechanisms that allow us all to participate in consultations throughout the process, and not just for one afternoon.

Official Languages committee  This certainly affects us, as it does everyone else, although some other institutions may be more affected. We've had emergency meetings on this over the last few days, as you can imagine. In my opinion, what is most shocking about this decision is that the Official Languages Act has just been modernized and a new Official Languages Action Plan launched.

Official Languages committee  British Columbia has always been a province founded on immigration. As you've probably already heard, demographically speaking, French-speaking families aren't having enough children. So we're going to need francophone immigration in British Columbia and throughout French-speaking Canada.

Official Languages committee  Quebec is very important to us, because it's a francophone space on which we rely, whether in terms of pedagogy or reading material. Life in French in Canada needs Quebec. There's no doubt about that. But attracting people is difficult. Indeed, it's almost impossible to attract someone from Trois-Rivières to Simon Fraser University because of the cost of living, but also, simply, because of tuition fees.

Official Languages committee  That's a very good question. In my opinion, we're touching on a point that could generate some interesting recommendations from your committee. I wouldn't say that the province, namely British Columbia, doesn't consult us. Post-secondary institutions are consulted. This is true of Collège Éducacentre and ours as well.

Official Languages committee  The answer is yes. I'm sure your committee's research department will find studies from the Commissioner of Official Languages for you. The Canadian Association of Immersion Professionals, or CAIP, also comes to mind, as well as the University of British Columbia, which has done research on all the aspects that would enable us to retain francophones in a minority-language education system.

Official Languages committee  Thank you very much for your question. Wasn't it also announced that funding would be doubled up north, in Sudbury? We were very pleased and remain optimistic. We hope that Treasury Board will review this funding. I think Parliament should be given credit at this point, given that the modernization of the Official Languages Act includes post‑secondary education.

Official Languages committee  There are 55,000.

Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question, Mr. Dalton. Let's take a step back. We're taking part in a societal project that involves having a francophone society across Canada. We, the post‑secondary institutions, are part of the education continuum, so we have a role to play. Twenty years ago, we began funding institutions through the OLEP and action plans.

Official Languages committee  I'll answer the question, and I'll let Mr. Good speak as well on behalf of the Faculté Saint‑Jean. Of course, the province gives us a certain number of spaces, so the number of students we can accept is limited. This year, the number is a little higher. In concrete terms, because of the pandemic, the situation in the education sector has been difficult.

Official Languages committee  Thank you. That's an excellent question. I don't know if you've heard from other witnesses from British Columbia, but I would remind you that there are 55,000 French immersion students there. That's quite something. Almost 10% of students with English as their mother tongue are in French immersion.

Official Languages committee  Obviously, if I could offer more programs, I could attract more people. There are limits, unfortunately. I'd like to offer a criminology program in French. I can't. I'd like to offer science programs in French. I can't. I can't afford it. However, as I told you earlier, we do what we can in education and the social sciences.

Official Languages committee  Precisely. It's a federal-provincial agreement. Since 2004, most of our funding has come from the official languages in education program.

Official Languages committee  Yes, I think that's one of the tools. As I said, it's not just a question of money, but money is also the sinews of war. The current government promised us that it would double that amount; unfortunately, when the Department of Finance came and put a figure on the post‑secondary education envelope, we didn't get the amount announced.