The governments of Canada and Manitoba announce more than $4.5 million for Université de Saint-Boniface

From: Canadian Heritage

News release

WINNIPEG, February 22, 2022

Our two official languages are an integral part of our Canadian identity and bring us economic, social and cultural advantages. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that all Canadians can learn in the official language of their choice. This is why we support the post-secondary institutions that are essential to the vitality and development of the country’s French-speaking communities.

Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, along with the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Member of Parliament (Saint Boniface–Saint Vital), and the Honourable Jon Reyes, Manitoba Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration, announced significant funding for two infrastructure projects at Université de Saint-Boniface.

The Government of Canada is announcing an investment of $1.935 million over two years to renovate and upgrade two chemistry teaching laboratories, the research and instrumentation laboratory, and storage and preparation rooms in the Experimental Sciences Department of the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Science. Furnishings in the spaces and a range of specialized equipment essential for teaching and research will also be replaced by modern equipment. The Government of Manitoba is supporting the project through the Canada-Manitoba agreement on Minority-Language Education and Second-Official Language Instruction 2020–21 to 2022–23, and the Université de Saint-Boniface is providing $1.935 million to the project over two years.

Université de Saint-Boniface will also benefit from excellent, modern spaces in the hall of the Faculty of Education thanks to an additional $286,631 in funding from the Government of Canada and the same amount from Université de Saint-Boniface, supported by the Government of Manitoba. Modernizing this site will allow the university to offer its students a high-quality education, in addition to ensuring the vitality of Franco-Manitoban culture throughout the institution.

Quotes

“For generations, French-speakers from all regions of Canada have attended top-quality Francophone post-secondary institutions, and we are more committed than ever to protecting them. As a proud Acadian, I know just how important Université de Saint-Boniface is to the vitality of the Franco-Manitoban community, and we will continue to protect those institutions that are crucial to the strength of official-language minority communities from coast to coast to coast.”

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

“As Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface–Saint Vital and a proud Franco-Manitoban, I am delighted to see the funding provided to this university, which since its founding has been a focal point, protector and promoter of Francophone culture. It welcomes a student body with diverse origins. This investment will allow Université de Saint-Boniface to maintain its reputation for excellence.”

—The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Member of Parliament (Saint Boniface–Saint Vital)

“Manitoba’s Francophone community is strong and vibrant, and the Université de Saint Boniface plays a pivotal role in ensuring access to post-secondary studies in French. This project will not only allow Manitoba’s only French-language university to continue to offer quality post-secondary education opportunities, but will also contribute to the vitality of Franco-Manitoban culture in our communities.”

—The Honourable Jon Reyes, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration

“Our strategies are centred on improving spaces for learning and research to help make the ambitions of our university community a reality. This investment will give us the means to carry out the significant—and necessary—transformation, so that we can provide a cutting-edge chemistry laboratory, as well as interactive, multipurpose classrooms tailored to new developments in teaching and scientific requirements, making Université de Saint-Boniface an even better post-secondary institution for French-speakers from Manitoba and further afield.”

—Sophie Bouffard, Rector, Université de Saint-Boniface

Quick facts

  • Université de Saint-Boniface is the oldest post-secondary education institution in Western Canada and the only Francophone university in Manitoba.

  • The chemistry laboratories at Université de Saint-Boniface in the Experimental Sciences Department of the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Science, which were originally built in 1973, are used by more than 100 students each semester on average.

  • The project to renovate the hall of the Faculty of Education will enable a cohort of 70 Bachelor of Education students each year to benefit from excellent, modern spaces to ensure a positive student experience.

  • In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada announced $121.3 million in new investments over three years as of 2021–2022 to support quality post-secondary education across Canada in the official minority language.

Associated links

Contacts

For more information (media only), please contact:

Marianne Blondin
Press Secretary
Office for the Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
marianne.blondin@acoa-apeca.gc.ca
343-543-8853

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
1-819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca

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