The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is calling for decisive federal action to implement the recommendations issued in the report published by the External Advisory Panel on the Creation and Dissemination of Scientific Information in French, Research in French and Substantive Equality: An Opportunity.
CAUT commends this report as a major step in support of French-language post-secondary teaching and research, which are key to the vitality of official language minority communities.
“As a bilingual country, Canada must increase its efforts to ensure that researchers are supported and recognized for their French-language contributions,” said David Robinson, executive director of CAUT.
One of the report’s recommendations is to create a mechanism for pan-Canadian coordination on post-secondary education in French. This approach, welcomed by CAUT, is essential to ensure effective coordination and to ensure that government investments produce equitable results for the entire research community.
As a contributor to the External Advisory Panel, alongside several other partners from the post-secondary education community, CAUT is urging the federal government to take quick and ambitious action to implement these recommendations.
Protecting the future of French-language post-secondary education throughout the country will take sustained investments that are adapted to the needs of the French-language research community.
Without federal leadership, inequalities in the production, publication and recognition of French-language research are likely to increase, which will negatively impact post-secondary education in Canada. The External Advisory Panel was mandated by the government in 2024 to develop recommendations for a federal strategy to secure the future of French-language research in Canada.
