QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Canadian Heritage—Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Infrastructure Projects
May 11, 2022
Minister, thank you for joining us today.
On April 6, 20 Atlantic senators wrote to Minister LeBlanc, copying you, regarding obstacles that our universities are facing in accessing federal infrastructure investments to support campus modernization, including decarbonization and accessibility.
Atlantic Canada is home to many high-quality universities that play an outsized role in driving economic growth and innovation in our region, as you know. In your role as Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, you support the Atlantic Growth Strategy. Minister, we have heard about serious obstacles faced by our universities, including narrow eligibility criteria for federal infrastructure programs and problematic requirements for provincial approvals and matching funds.
Minister, could you tell us if you and your colleagues would agree to reviewing the criteria for those existing infrastructure programs, and would you consider dedicated funding for post-secondary campus modernization?
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for that important question.
We recognize that the need for making investments in post-secondary institutions is truly important. Yes, in Atlantic Canada I have met with a series of university presidents who are looking for investments from both the federal and provincial levels of government.
Just last week alone, I was at Université de Moncton, my alma mater. We were able to make an announcement not only for Université de Moncton but also for UNB to make sure that increased funding was provided so that we could prepare the youth of today for the jobs of tomorrow. That involved increased enrolment in the field of cybersecurity and others.
With respect to the federal government, Minister LeBlanc and I are always committed to making sure we can do all that we can to support our post-secondary institutions, because we know they are vital for the growth of our communities in the Atlantic region.
Finally, with my ACOA hat on, I often meet with employers who indicate to me that they sometimes need to ensure that their workforce receives specialized training in specific fields. That is why, through ACOA as well, we have been making strategic investments to make sure people could get micro-certifications to advance the skills they need in certain areas. That is one investment area.
With respect to infrastructure, I know Minister LeBlanc is committed to looking at ways to properly support our Atlantic-Canadian institutions, because we have stellar institutions here that are well known internationally.
