2004-21 May 10, 2004 For immediate release EDMONTON - Senator Tommy Banks announced today on behalf of the Honourable Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of Health, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister Responsible for Official Languages, that the Government of Canada will provide a grant of more than $2.7 million over five years to the Faculté Saint-Jean at the University of Alberta to support the training and retention of health professionals in minority Francophone communities. "The funding being announced today demonstrates the government's commitment to supporting the vitality of official language minority communities and to providing them with better access to health services," said Senator Banks. "These resources will enable the Faculté Saint-Jean, in partnership with the University of Alberta's Faculty of Nursing, to offer a bilingual Bachelor's degree in Nursing and to accept 16 students into the program in September 2004." With this funding, the Faculté also intends to offer a Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences as of 2007. In addition, it plans to develop networking mechanisms to facilitate exchanges among Francophone students registered in English-language health sector programs, as well as to support health professionals, most notably by offering them language training that will ultimately enable them to provide services in French. The Faculté will also contribute to the development of research capacity within the Francophone communities of Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. "Cooperation between the federal government and official language minority communities is built on a solid foundation. This announcement is consistent with the government's unwavering support for the development of these communities," Mr. Pettigrew said. "The Government of Canada is proud to support a community which is committed and determined to finding solutions that will improve access to health services." The Department of Canadian Heritage also has an important role in promoting Canada's two official languages as stated by the Canadian Heritage Minister, the Honourable Hélène Chalifour Scherrer. « The Faculté St-Jean plays a unique role in Western Canada. Students enrolled in programs here have the opportunity to pursue their chosen fields of study with the added bonus of graduating with the capacity to work in both of Canada's official languages. The new funding comes from the Contribution Program to Improve Access to Health Services for Official Languages Minority Communities. A total of $63 million is to be granted over five years under the support for training and retention of professionals - Francophone communities component of the Contribution Program. The goal of this component is to improve training capacity through accredited health programs, as well as to promote professional development, research and the retention of health professionals. Included in the 2003 federal budget, funding for this program is part of the current fiscal framework. -30- Media Inquiries: Aggie Adamczyk Health Canada (613) 941-8189 Adèle Blanchard Office of Minister Pettigrew Minister of Health Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Responsible for Official Languages (613) 957-0200 Mylène Dupéré Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage (819) 997-7788 Public Inquiries: (613) 957-2991
