Under the present economic context, the Alberta government is not investing in postsecondary education. Francophones should understand that there is no money.
In addition to the funds allocated towards operating funding for postsecondary institutions, the Government of Alberta invested $98 million in postsecondary education in 2020. The Campus Saint-Jean did not receive any share of this additional funding.
Although operating grants for postsecondary institutions saw cuts in 2019 and 2020, the government invested $5.5 billion in 2019 and $5.1 billion in 2020 towards postsecondary education operating funds. In its budget, the Government of Alberta also allocated $463 million in 2019 and $288 million in 2020 to postsecondary institutions for captial projects already underway. An additional investment of $98 million for new post-secondary infrastructure projects was announced in summer 2020 as part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan, in response to COVID-19.
Despite the announcement of these new funds, the Campus Saint-Jean is still awaiting an infrastructure investment from the provincial government to match the $3.7 million allocated in the 2019-2020 federal government budget. Without an investment from the province, the Campus Saint-Jean cannot receive the federal government’s funds.
In the 1976 Oblates agreement, the province made a funding commitment to continue operating, maintaining, improving and expanding the Campus Saint-Jean’ programs and infrastructure.
