Governments of Canada and Ontario provide more than $12.6 million in support for Collège La Cité in Ottawa

News release

OTTAWA, April 6, 2022

Our two official languages are a source of pride and an asset for Canadians. That’s why the Government of Canada supports post-secondary institutions like Collège La Cité, a key player in the revitalization of the Franco-Ontarian community.

Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, announced more than $12.6 million in funding for Collège La Cité to transform its current technology infrastructure and revise its operations as part of its new digital strategy. This funding will also allow for the repurposing of four spaces into collaborative classrooms. The Minister was accompanied in making the announcement by the Honourable Mona Fortier, Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier and President of the Treasury Board, and by Marc G. Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages.

Specifically, the Government of Canada is investing nearly $10 million over three years so that Collège La Cité can undertake this important technological project, with the Government of Ontario also contributing more than $2 million over three years.

Additionally, the funding will support the development of three micro-certifications in digital citizenship – in collaboration with the Université de l’Ontario français and the Groupe Média TFO – to be offered online.

A further investment of $300,000 from the Government of Canada will allow for four classrooms at La Cité to be refurbished as collaborative classrooms. These classrooms will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and ergonomic furniture to facilitate a variety of pedagogical uses. Collège La Cité, supported by the Ontario government, is also investing $300,000 in this project.

The first two projects are funded under the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction (2020–2021 to 2022–2023). Funding for the classroom retrofits is provided through the Community Education Infrastructure Project.

Quotes

“Today’s announcement will allow Francophone students access to quality programs in French and help them get the training they need to enter the job market more quickly. We are committed to supporting our minority-language post-secondary institutions and to putting in place the resources necessary to foster the development of our youth, who now have all they need to achieve great things.”

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

“As the Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier and a Franco-Ontarian, I am very pleased by the financial support announced today. Since its creation in 1990, Collège La Cité has distinguished itself and become a post-secondary institution of choice for Francophones. The digital shift and the micro-certifications that the college will offer will allow it to maintain its level of excellence in education by offering modern and up-to-date services to the Francophone community.”

—The Honourable Mona Fortier, Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier and President of the Treasury Board

“In addition to refurbishing classrooms and contributing to an important digital shift, this funding will also allow for a great collaboration between La Cité, the Université de l’Ontario français and the Groupe Média TFO, who will work together to design a digital citizenship program that will include digital learning content in French. When three francophone institutions come together with a common mission, we can expect great things for Franco-Ontarians.”

—Marc G. Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages

“Ontario’s economic recovery and future prosperity is dependent on a workforce that can quickly adapt and respond to an evolving labour market. That’s why the Ontario government is proud to fund the transformation of digital infrastructure and the development of new programs at College La Cité that supports micro-credential learning opportunities. This investment will help students develop the skills needed to enter the workforce more quickly and will specifically support school boards to upgrade the skills of French-language staff through new micro-certifications in digital citizenship.”

—The Honourable Jill Dunlop, Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities

“Collège La Cité is delighted with this significant support from the federal and provincial governments, which will enable it to continue to fulfill its mandate of ensuring a strong, prosperous and active Francophone future in Canadian society, particularly in Ontario. Since its creation in 1990, La Cité has played an important role in the development and vitality of Francophone communities in Ontario and elsewhere in the country. This funding will be used to transform our technology infrastructure, which is essential to increasing our digital capacity and supporting a new pedagogical approach for the educational transformation of the College's 140 programs of study.”

– Lise Bourgeois, President and Director General, Collège La Cité

Quick facts

Solidly established in the National Capital Region and Eastern Ontario for a quarter century, La Cité is the largest French-language college of applied arts and technology in Ontario.
La Cité offers 140 post-secondary programs, and it places student success at the top of its list of priorities. In addition to its main campus in Ottawa, the College includes the Centre des métiers Minto - campus Alphonse-Desjardins in Orléans, its state-of-the-art skilled trades institute, and satellite campuses in Toronto, Hawkesbury and West Ottawa
Budget 2021 provides $80 million over two years (2021–2022 and 2022–2023) to support the construction, renovation and development of educational and community spaces serving official language minority communities. This funding is in addition to the $78.9 million over 10 years announced in Budget 2017 for community education infrastructure in those communities. It also adds to the $67.2 million over five years in the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023 for construction projects related to educational and cultural infrastructure in official language minority communities.
Budget 2021 also provides $121 million over three years (2021–2022 to 2023–2024) to support high-quality post-secondary education in a minority language. These new investments will be made through existing intergovernmental collaboration mechanisms to help provinces and territories address pressing needs and help stabilize the minority-language post-secondary sector.
Federal funding for this project is through the Official Languages Support Programs, whose overall goal is to enhance the vitality of English- and French-speaking minority communities and promote the English and French languages in Canadian society.
The Government of Ontario is supporting the project through the Canada-Ontario Agreement for 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, in order to adapt the Official Languages Act to a changing society. Among other objectives, the bill aims to address the decline of French 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

Contacts

For more information (media only), please contact:

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

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

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Date modified:: 2022-04-06