While Laurentian University has kept some of the francophone programming it had before the cuts made as part of its insolvency restructuring this spring, francophone leaders in Sudbury say it is not enough to keep those who wish to study in French here.
One such career is in education, an industry already facing severe shortages of French-speaking teachers - so much so that in June, the Ontario government announced an investment of $12.5 million over the next four years to support their recruitment and training.
But while that would have once been a boon for both Laurentian University and the Université de Sudbury, it’s not something that francophones who wish to stay in Sudbury can take advantage of.
That’s because each potential teacher must learn two “teachables” before they can enter the Faculty of Education, which at Laurentian University is offered in both official languages. However, if you wish to take your teachables in French at Laurentian, you may be out of luck. And as Lyse Lamothe of Planif Sudbury said, it could be unlikely that students will leave town for their bachelor’s degree and return for their teaching degree.
(Planif Sudbury is a group dedicated to strategic planning for the francophone population of Sudbury).
“The teachers cannot be educated,” said Lamothe. “There's no history, there's no math, only some sciences, so all teachers have to go out of town, then come back. But, just thinking about the teachers, what is it (the current shortage) going to look like in four years?
That current shortage is, according to a report from the Ontario government and several francophone organizations, “a critical situation.”
The report notes that there are more than 500 people “teaching without qualifications” under a letter of permission - someone who is not a qualified teacher but is educating with permission based on their ability to speak French.
If no action is taken, said the report, that number will grow to 2,500 people working under a letter of permission in 2024-25.
Faculties of education certify an average of roughly 500 new teachers each year, states the report, but also adds that “an additional 520 teachers will be needed annually over five years to reach a balance between supply and demand for certified teaching personnel.”
Though more up to date numbers are to come, it appears that Laurentian has less than ideal enrolment numbers. While they are not broken down by language or by program, The latest statistics released by the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) show the student population at Laurentian University is significantly down.
Confirmation statistics released by OUAC say that as of Sept. 8, 609 students exiting high school had confirmed they had accepted offers to attend Laurentian as of Sept. 8. But that same statistic was 904 students a year ago, which represents a 32.5 per cent drop.
There was a similar, but slightly higher drop for ‘non-secondary,’ students; that is, students enrolling from places other than secondary schools.
As of Sept. 7, there were 415 students in this category that had provided confirmations to Laurentian. A year ago, that same statistic was at 627 students, meaning a drop of 33.8 per cent.
In Sudbury, the Coalition nord-ont. pour une université de langue française is still working to put together a standalone Francophone university, one that is par, pour et avec (by, for and with) the francophone population of Northern Ontario. But they have little faith in Laurentian University’s ability to provide a fully bilingual education.
“We need all three,” said Lamothe, “We need a strong Laurentian, we need something for Indigenous studies and we need a French institution. But I want a strong Francophone institution.”
It is for this reason that Lamothe, as the rep for Planif Sudbury, signed a Sept. 1 letter with Denis Contantineau, spokesperson for the Coalition. An open letter to Dr. Robert Haché, the document clearly points to what a strong francophone institution looks like.
Though the letter acknowledges the role that the former Laurentian University played in the history of the franco-ontarian population, it also describes the relationship as broken and without trust now that 28 French languages programs have been removed and the federated agreement between the University of Sudbury was dissolved.
The letter continues with a directive.
“If you truly care about the francophone community, you will agree to negotiate the transfer of all French-language programs from Laurentian University to the Université de Sudbury as soon as possible,” it states. “You will also support the eventual creation of a university run by, for and with Aboriginal peoples. We will support what has always been more or less the true mission of Laurentian University, to serve the English-speaking majority.”
