Released on November 30, 2006
The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan today announced the signing of an agreement on the construction and renovation of the school-community centres that make up the École canadienne-française in Saskatoon.Making the announcement were the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of International Co-operation and Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages and Advanced Education and Employment Minister Pat Atkinson on behalf of Learning Minister Deb Higgins.
Minister Verner took advantage of the opportunity to visit the secondary campus of the École canadienne-française and to meet with members of Saskatchewan's Francophone community.
"I am proud to be here today to announce an agreement with the Government of Saskatchewan that will make it possible to build and renovate school and community facilities of the École canadienne-française," said Minister Verner. "The ongoing co-operation between the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan demonstrates our commitment to fostering the development of Francophone communities and promoting linguistic duality."
"The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to making our province the best place for young people to live, work and build strong futures. We are also committed to building healthy and dynamic Francophone communities across the province," Atkinson said. "These projects promise to be a significant boost to the Francophone community in Saskatoon and will provide Francophone children access to high quality education in their own language.
The agreement provides for more than $3 million in funding from the Government of Canada over two years. This amount is in addition to more than $6 million in funding from the provincial government. Last March, the Government of Canada also signed an agreement with the Province of Saskatchewan that provides more than $26 million over four years for French-language education in official-language minority communities and the teaching of French as a second language.
Through financing agreements, the Government of Canada encourages provincial and territorial governments to give members of minority official-language communities access to education in their own language and to offer young Canadians instruction in French or English as a second language.
For more information on federal, provincial and territorial agreements in the field of education, please visit the Department of Canadian Heritage website at www.pch.gc.ca.
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For More Information, Contact:
| Jacquie McLean Saskatchewan Learning Regina Phone: 306-787-5609 | Anne-Kateri Foley Minister's Office Ottawa Phone: 819-953-6238 |
Donald Boulanger Media Relations Ottawa Phone: 819-994-9101 |