Governments of Canada and New Brunswick invest in the education of international Francophone students at Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick

The CCNB receives more than $2 million to support international Francophone students in New Brunswick

DIEPPE, NB, July 5, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, announced funding for the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB). She made this announcement on behalf of the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, accompanied by the Honourable Greg Turner, New Brunswick Minister of Post-secondary Education, Training and Labour.

The governments of Canada and New Brunswick are each contributing $1,035,278 to the CCNB's project to adapt the support model for international Francophone students. This brings the total investment to $2,070,556.

This project aims to maximize access, development and skills enhancement for the CCNB's international students, enabling them to integrate into the job market and New Brunswick's Francophone community. The CCNB recognizes the need to adapt its service model to better meet the specific needs of its rapidly growing international student population.

Thanks to this major investment, the CCNB will be able to enhance the experience of international Francophone students, promote their social and professional integration, and strengthen their sense of belonging to the New Brunswick and Canadian communities.

Quotes

"New Brunswick is home to a diverse Francophone community. We are committed to strengthening and promoting the French language, including through education and professional development. This measure will enable the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick to better meet the needs of its international Francophone students and help them integrate into our province's workforce."

—The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

"Everyone should have the tools and resources they need to express themselves and be served in the official language of their choice. The funding announced today for the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick gives international Francophone students the support they need to access services in French and better integrate into the workforce and the Francophone community here in New Brunswick."

—The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages

"Attracting and retaining French-speaking students from other parts of the world is critical to maintaining New Brunswick's bilingualism and to meeting the province's labour market demands. This initiative will help international students better adapt to their new surroundings and better prepare them to stay and work in New Brunswick upon graduation."

—The Honourable Greg Turner, New Brunswick Minister of Post-secondary Education, Training and Labour

"The CCNB thanks the Government of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick for this joint investment. In recent years, the CCNB has made growing investments to support a major increase in the international student clientele, which directly contributes to the growth of the demographic weight of Francophones in the province through immigration and to the training of future generations in key sectors that are dealing with labour shortages."

—Dr. Pierre Zundel, CEO, Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick

Quick Facts

The Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick is the province's only Francophone college-level institution. It has an urban campus in Dieppe and four rural campuses in the north of the province (Bathurst, Campbellton, Edmundston and Shippagan).

Francophone international students currently represent 50 percent of the CCNB's clientele.

The project to adapt the CCNB's support model focuses on two priorities. The first priority is continuing education, which aims to help international students transition to the Canadian higher education system and support their academic success. The second priority is career plan management, which aims to enhance job search assistance services and set up job match projects with regional employers.

This funding stems from the bilateral agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick, supporting French-language educational activities and official second-language instruction. Canadian Heritage also supports complementary projects related to the province's multi‑year action plan.

The Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration provides for a total investment of $4.1 billion to support 7 departments and 33 new or enhanced initiatives aimed at protecting and promoting the country's official languages.

On June 20, 2023, An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada's Official Languages received Royal Assent. The Act aims to address the decline of French in the country and to clarify and strengthen the promotion of official languages, while supporting official-language minority communities.

Associated Links

Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration

Budget 2021

Official Languages Support Programs

Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (French only)

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

Contacts: For more information (media only), please contact: Mathis Denis, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569- 6155, [email protected]