Governments of Canada and Alberta announce more than $13.3 million for University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean
Postsecondary institutions are important to the vitality of our communities in Canada. They promote student mobility and allow official language minority communities to form stronger bonds in the language of their choice.
The Government of Canada recognizes that postsecondary institutions in minority areas need targeted support, which is why we are committed to helping them with their transformation projects.
Today, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism, Associate Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament (Edmonton Centre), on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, announced more than $13.3 million in support for an important project at the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean. The Minister was accompanied by the Honourable Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta Minister of Advanced Education.
The project aims to increase the number of university and college academic programs and services for students, while ensuring these services are sustainable. It will also help ensure the visibility of Campus Saint-Jean.
The Government of Canada is investing more than $10.3 million over three years in this project as part of the Canada-Alberta Agreement on Minority Language Education and Second-Language Instruction from 2020-2021 to 2022-2023. The Government of Alberta is allocating $2.5 million over three years to the project. The University of Alberta is also investing $500,000.
The investment today will allow Campus Saint-Jean to:
hire additional teachers and personnel;
increase the number of French programs and courses offered to students;
better assess students’ linguistic skills at the time of admission;
improve its infrastructure, like better Wi-Fi, computer equipment, equipment for the chemistry lab, student lounge and two digital classrooms, and install an automated card system for its communal spaces;
reactivate the Research Centre in French;
improve student services like linguistic, learning and career guidance activities, as well as psychosocial support services;
increase its visibility through virtual online tours, workshops, conferences, cultural activities, debates and interactive seminars, and through a community engagement and visibility campaign.
The funding will allow Campus Saint-Jean to stimulate student learning and better meet the needs of the growing student population.
The announcement was made while the minister was visiting Edmonton as part of the 2022 Cross-Canada Official Languages Consultations.