Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, and Vice-Chairs Godin and Beaulieu.

I don't know if he is here today, but I'd also like to say hello to your colleague from British Columbia, Mr. Dalton, who's also a member of the committee. I met him recently.

My name is Gino LeBlanc. I'm an associate professor with the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University here in Vancouver.

I'm attending today's meeting as director of the Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs, or OFFA, at Simon Fraser University.

Twenty years ago, the first action plan for official languages established a partnership with the province of British Columbia to create the French-language minority education research hub that we have today at Simon Fraser University.

The role of our office is to assist the faculties, particularly in the arts and social sciences, education and health sciences, in implementing and supporting programs in French.

You could think of us a bit like the hub of the French-language education continuum. “Continuum” is an important word. It has been used a lot during your meetings. We are the hub of the French-language education continuum.

In 20 years, we've trained about 5,000 graduates. We support 275 to 300 students who study in French at the bachelor's, master's or doctoral level every year. Our role is to support not only the faculties, but also the students. I think the previous witnesses talked about that very important role. We are also active in community development. We issue diplomas and deliver training. We are also a driving force in promoting the vitality of French, a goal that's important to the Parliament of Canada and to Simon Fraser University.

In my short, five-minute speech, I would like to talk about the new Official Languages Act, which mentions post-secondary education. In particular, the new section 41, gives us new program funding capacity. That support is significant.

I also want to point out that the action plan for official languages 2023–2028: protection-promotion-collaboration will support us. The lion's share of our funding comes from the Official Languages in Education Program, or OLEP. I heard Mr. Samson allude to it earlier. It's a really important item.

A little ironically, we don't really have a seat at the federal-provincial table. Among your report's suggested improvements and recommendations, it would be helpful to include a place at this table for post-secondary institutions, in one way or another. We have a fairly good relationship with the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, but we are always sidelined during these debates. We are not at the negotiating table, and it would be an advantage, or added value, for the post-secondary funding process in francophone communities across Canada if we were.

Funding is not the only factor involved in meeting the challenges inherent in offering all programs in French outside Quebec. However, I nevertheless want to talk about the importance of stable, predictable, multi-year funding. As I recently said to some of my colleagues, university programs last at least four, maybe five years. Doctorates can take longer. We want to hire professors, support students, and create a student experience and a francophone space. However, our funding cycles are rarely longer than 24 months. The last funding cycles for the official languages in education program were 24 months. Sometimes, universities are forced to make a leap of faith and hope things will carry on.

The word “continuum” is used a lot, but more work needs to be done on implementing new public policies consistent with the continuum concept, in other words, from preschool to the primary and on to the post-secondary levels. When you make your recommendations, I invite you to consider what the word “continuum” means. Is it limited to kindergarten or preschool programs, or from the primary to the post-secondary levels?

Earlier, you alluded to the Table nationale sur l'éducation. The final report of the États généraux de l'éducation postsecondaire en contexte francophone minoritaire is a key document that deserves your consideration.

The Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs, or OFFA, of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia is the university member of the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne, or ACUFC. We fully endorse the recommendations arising from the États généraux. Our outlook is national.

Of course, the jurisdiction is shared. We know that complicates things. However, I am truly optimistic. I feel confident that we can establish a stable, multi-year, adequate funding structure.

Mr. Arseneault, are my five minutes up?

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