The Association of Colleges and Universities of the Canadian Francophonie (ACUFC), which has repeatedly expressed its “deep concern” about the consequences of capping study permits on French-speaking establishments in a minority context, filed a complaint with the Office of the Commissioner to official languages. The ACUFC believes that the federal government deviated from the Official Languages Act by not immediately announcing measures to protect its member institutions.
It was Martin Normand, director of international relations for the association, who made the announcement Monday evening, during the first study session of this federal measure by the Senate Committee on Official Languages.
The ACUFC criticizes the federal Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller, of “jeopardizing the start of the 2024 school year” by still not having presented, more than two months after the announcement, positive measures to “minimize the impacts of the ceiling” on its network of establishments. “The urgency to act is clear. »
According to its members, the negative repercussions should have been assessed and mitigated in advance, as provided for in the new Official Languages Act. “If the government can’t apply its law, I don’t know where we’re going,” said the rector of the University of Ottawa, Jacques Frémont, in a strong tone.
Mr. Normand also accused Minister Miller of having “created an important precedent” and of having “relieved himself of his responsibilities with regard to the development of French-speaking communities” by having charged the provinces with distributing the quotas of permitted between establishments. “In a context where the federal government has linguistic obligations with regard to the development of French-speaking communities, we should not be in a situation where we are counting on the luck and good faith of the provinces to ensure the survival, sustainability and vitality of our post-secondary institutions,” he declared. “Not only is the federal government failing the first test of the modernized Official Languages Act, but it is endangering institutions and communities that it is committed to promoting and protecting. »
Further details will follow.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.