Governments of Canada and Manitoba support postsecondary education with more than $5.3 million for the Université de Saint-Boniface in Winnipeg

Concrete support for Franco-Manitoban communities: The Government of Canada and the Université de Saint-Boniface, with support from the Manitoba government, announce a significant investment for the Université de Saint-Boniface.

WINNIPEG, MB, Feb. 27, 2023 /CNW/ - Our two official languages are an integral part of Canada's heritage. Living in a country that gives us the privilege of working and studying in our two official languages is an asset. Post-secondary institutions are at the heart of Francophone minority communities and are essential to their vitality and development.

Today, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, PrairiesCan and CanNor, and Member of Parliament (Saint Boniface–Saint Vital), announced nearly $5.3 million in funding for two projects at the Université de Saint-Boniface. Minister Vandal made this announcement on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

First project: Implementation of a software package for student record management

L'Université de Saint-Boniface will acquire a modern, user-friendly, secure French-language software package to centralize its operations and all its data for the management of student files, from student registration to their degree, including the development of a related digital strategy for online or distance learning courses. The software package will also allow students to access their file online. The Government of Canada will invest nearly $3 million over three years to this project, while l'Université de Saint-Boniface, supported by the Government of Manitoba, is also providing more than $1.2 million over three years.

Second project: Improving the positioning of the Université de Saint-Boniface

Secondly, $800,035 from the Government of Canada and $324,965 from the Université de Saint-Boniface, supported by the Government of Manitoba, will be provided over three years to increase the institution's organizational capacity to recruit students and modernize its communications and branding with Francophone communities in Manitoba and the Prairies, which will consolidate their position and standing in Western Canada. This project includes the development and deployment of modern promotional tools and an increase in the number of recruitment activities.

These projects are funded under the Canada-Manitoba Agreement on Minority-Language Education and Second Official-Language Instruction 2020–2021 to 2022–2023.

Quotes

"Today's announcement is perfectly in line with the modernization of the Official Languages Act, which will ensure the vitality of Francophone communities. I am proud to announce this important investment that will support and increase the number of postsecondary students pursuing their studies in French. This funding will benefit Francophone student communities in Manitoba and the Prairies for generations to come."

—The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

" L'Université de Saint-Boniface is at the heart of our community, and this investment will allow it to better support students and modernize its IT infrastructure. As the only Francophone university in Western Canada, it is essential for us to support USB's important work in giving minority Francophone communities a space to work and study in their mother tongue."

—The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, PrairiesCan and CanNor, and Member of Parliament (Saint Boniface–Saint Vital)

"The Manitoba government is pleased to continue to promote the growth and development of the Université de Saint Boniface, a flourishing learning institution that has become renowned for providing quality French-language instruction and playing a leading role in ensuring the advancement of French education, language and culture in our province and beyond."

—The Honourable Sarah Guillemard, Manitoba Minister of Advanced Education and Training

"Our government is committed to providing Manitoba's young people with access to quality primary and secondary education in French, and many of these students continue their education at Université de Saint-Boniface. This exciting investment will ensure Manitobans are able to access post-secondary programs that ensure our province's vibrant Francophone culture can grow in the years to come."

—The Honourable Wayne Ewasko, Manitoba Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning

"This eagerly awaited investment is essential to enriching the student experience at the Université de Saint-Boniface and to the modernization and sustainability of our institution. The digital shift now underway will allow us to significantly improve our institutional communications, data management, online and distance course delivery, and the functionality of our student portal. In turn, we anticipate being able to maintain our competitive advantage and remain at the forefront of the changes happening in postsecondary education to better face the social, economic, cultural and community issues of our time. Thanks to this funding, the Université de Saint-Boniface—a pillar of postsecondary education in French—is positioning itself as a force for change whose innovative impact will continue to be felt across the French-speaking community in Manitoba and beyond."

—Sophie Bouffard, President, Université de Saint-Boniface

Quick Facts

• The Université de Saint-Boniface is the oldest postsecondary institution in Western Canada and the only French-language university in Manitoba.
• The Université de Saint-Boniface has offered French-language education in Manitoba for 204 years. Since its founding, the Université de Saint-Boniface has been a hub, a protector and a promoter of Francophone culture. Today, it welcomes students from all over the world, and its reputation for excellence extends far beyond Canada.
• Budget 2021 announced $121.3 million over three years (2021–22 to 2023–24) to support high-quality minority-language postsecondary education. These new investments will be provided primarily through existing intergovernmental collaborative mechanisms to assist provinces and territories in addressing pressing needs to help stabilize the minority-language postsecondary education sector.
• This assistance is provided through the Official Languages Support Programs, whose overall objective is to enhance the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities and promote English and French in Canadian society.
• The project is funded under the Canada-Manitoba Agreement on Minority-Language Education and Second Official-Language Instruction 2020–2021 to 2022–2023.
• On March 1, 2022, the Government of Canada introduced an enhanced bill promoting the substantive equality of Canada's official languages, to adapt the Official Languages Act to a changing society. Among other objectives, the bill aims to address the decline of the French language in Canada, clarify and strengthen the section of the Official Languages Act dealing with the promotion of official languages, and support official language minority communities.

Associated Links

• Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada's Official Languages
• Budget 2021
• Action Plan for Official Languages – 2018–2023: Investing in Our Future
• Official Languages Support Programs
• Université de Saint-Boniface  

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

(media only), please contact: Marianne Blondin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, [email protected]; Media Relations: Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [email protected]