L'UCP DEVRAIT FINANCER LE CAMPUS SAINT-JEAN, ÉVITER LES BATAILLES COÛTEUSES --- UCP SHOULD FUND CAMPUS SAINT-JEAN, AVOID COSTLY COURT BATTLE

EDMONTON –Jason Kenney and the UCP government should fulfill its commitment to support Campus Saint-Jean instead of going to court to defend its attacks on Francophone education in Alberta. 

On Monday, the Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta (ACFA) announced it would pursue legal action against the UCP Government and the University of Alberta for breaking the 1976 funding agreement for the French-language campus. This follows a series of deep budget cuts and documents released by CBC French revealing several academic restructuring scenarios currently under consideration would lead to the permanent closure of Campus Saint-Jean.

The Alberta NDP Caucus voices its support for the ACFA’s lawsuit and renews its call for the UCP to reverse its decision to slash funding to post-secondary education in Alberta.

«C'est inacceptable. L'UCP met en péril l'avenir de l'éducation francophone en Alberta et va maintenant dépenser de l'argent pour des avocats pour la défendre devant les tribunaux. Encore une fois, j’appelle à Jason Kenney et Demetrios Nicolaides à agir de bonne foi, à mettre fin à leurs attaques contre l'éducation francophone et à conformer à leurs obligations juridiques.»

“This is wrong. The UCP is putting the future of Francophone education in Alberta at risk, and now they are going to spend money on lawyers to defend it in court. Once again, I call on Jason Kenney and Demetrios Nicolaides to start acting in good faith, stop their attacks on Francophone education, and start living up to their legal responsibilities.”

• Marie Renaud, Alberta NDP Critic for Francophone Issues.

Campus Saint-Jean is critical to Franco-Albertan culture and the advancement of the French language in Alberta. It is the only French immersion-based program in Western Canada, ensuring the inclusion of global Francophones in the Alberta economy and the training of French language teachers for Alberta.