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OTTAWA – The ball is now in the provinces’ court after the federal government announced a three-year, $ 121 million investment to help post-secondary institutions in minority communities.
The news was well received by francophone communities across the country. But all eyes have naturally turned to the Government of Alberta because of the situation at Campus Saint-Jean and the attitude of the Alberta government in the matter.
“In Alberta, our only francophone post-secondary institution, Campus Saint-Jean suffers from a chronic deficit. So this announcement is really helping, on an interim basis for the next three years, ”says Sheila Risbud, president of the Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta.
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However, she points out that the Alberta government continues to hinder the development of the only French-language post-secondary educational institution in Alberta.
A provincial government “hostile” to francophones
“We were very clear with the federal government about the situation we are experiencing in Alberta, where we have a government that has so far been quite hostile towards its francophone minority,” deplores Ms. Risbud.
But now, for millions of the federal government to reach Campus Saint-Jean, the Alberta government must act. “The provincial government must apply for funding to get this money,” says Sheila Risbud.
However, in the past, the Alberta government has refused to claim the money available from Ottawa for the Saint-Jean campus.
The Alberta government refuses to say whether it will accept the funding offer for post-secondary education institutions in minority communities, and responded to our interview request by sending us the following statement:
“The Government of Alberta remains very committed to the Francophone community of Alberta and Francophone education. The Department of Post-Secondary Education will closely examine any funding program offered by the Government of Canada and make a decision in the best interests of Albertans, “said Taylor Hides, spokesperson for the department.
For her part, the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, Mélanie Joly, reaffirmed the commitment of the government of which she is a part to strengthening bilingualism in the country.
“It is up to the government to promote and protect our two official languages, which are part of the fabric of our country. This investment is essential, since it supports learning in both official languages throughout a student’s school career, which is very important for building the bilingual Canada of tomorrow and ensuring the vitality of official language communities. in a minority situation ”, declared the Minister.
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