Funding for French-language research in Ontario has been scarce over the past few years, with just four projects receiving support since 2018.
In a country that prides itself on bilingualism, a significant disparity has been uncovered in the funding of French-language research projects. According to recent data, only 4 out of approximately 1600 research projects funded by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities since 2018 were in French. This underfunding issue is not limited to Ontario, but is a Pan-Canadian problem.
One example of the importance of French-language research is a project focusing on educational challenges in minority francophone communities. Such research is crucial for governments to take the needs of that population into account when developing public policies. However, Francophone institutions outside Quebec often face difficulties accessing sufficient funding for such projects, limiting their capacity to compete and flourish.
The root cause of this disparity lies in the minority status of French speakers outside Quebec and the geographic concentration of Francophone populations primarily in Quebec. This creates structural challenges in allocating research funds equitably across provinces. The federal government has acknowledged this imbalance and has established initiatives to support French-language education and scientific research, but these efforts remain limited compared to the scale of English-language funding.
Francophone institutions in Ontario, in particular, face unique challenges. They are smaller, offer more programs in humanities and social sciences, and have more limited resources for large-scale projects, making them less compatible with the current grant criteria. The Ontario Research Fund, which funds the majority of research projects, is designed for projects related to research infrastructure or applied innovation, favoring large Anglophone universities.
The issue of underfunding has been highlighted by Acfas, a federation representing Francophone universities in Quebec and Ontario. In June, they sent an open letter to the new government of Mark Carney, demanding reforms to address the inequalities in research funding. The letter, backed by nearly 1200 signatories, remains unanswered as of writing.
The evaluation of applications for funding is another area of concern. Committees may not be able to understand a French-language dossier, especially if it's on specialized topics, creating blatant inequities in a supposedly officially bilingual country. This issue was also raised by Sophie Montreuil, the general director of Acfas, who stated that the problem lies in the grant system not being well-adapted to Francophone institutions.
Despite these challenges, Francophone researchers represent approximately 21% of Canada's scientific community, but only 5% to 12% of grant applications are written in French. This disparity affects the production and dissemination of scientific information in French across Canada, constraining the growth of Francophone research communities and their representation in academic and cultural sectors.
The Initiative of Local Journalism, funded by the Government of Canada, supported this report. However, no response has been received from the ministries addressed regarding the open letter as of the time of writing. The situation underscores the need for continued advocacy and reform to ensure equitable funding for French-language research projects across Canada.
[1] Source: Acfas [2] Source: Canadian Association of University Teachers [3] Source: Canadian Journal of French Studies
- The lack of equitable funding for French-language research in provinces outside Quebec, such as Ontario, hinders the progress of important projects focusing on education and self-development within minority francophone communities, which is vital for public policies to cater to these populations' needs.
- In a country that champions bilingualism, the application evaluation process for research grants remains a significant obstacle, as committees often struggle to understand French-language dossiers, especially those concerning specialized topics, leading to blatant inequities and the underrepresentation of Francophone researchers in Canada's scientific community.
