A Francophone school announced they will be taking Premier Jason Kenney and the UCP court after deep cuts to post secondary education looks set to shut it down..Te Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta (ACFA) announced it would pursue legal action against the UCP and the University of Alberta for breaking a 1976 funding agreement for the French-language campus. .CBC French reported their are several academic restructuring scenarios currently under consideration would lead to the permanent closure of Campus Saint-Jean..“This is wrong. The UCP is putting the future of Francophone education in Alberta at risk, and now they are going to spend money on lawyers to defend it in court,” said Marie Renaud, Alberta NDP critic for Francophone Issues..“Once again, I call on Jason Kenney and (Advanced Education Minister) Demetrios Nicolaides to start acting in good faith, stop their attacks on Francophone education, and start living up to their legal responsibilities.”.The NDP said in a release: “Campus Saint-Jean is critical to Franco-Albertan culture and the advancement of the French language in Alberta. It is the only French immersion-based program in Western Canada, ensuring the inclusion of global Francophones in the Alberta economy and the training of French language teachers for Alberta.”.In February, the UCP cut 6.3 per cent in spending – total operating expenses for the Ministry of Advanced Education dropped from $5.5 billion to $5.1 billion.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .Campuses across the province have now been trying to come up with plans on how to handle the spending cut, with many job losses already happening..A spokesman for Nicolaides said: “We will not be commenting on items related to the legal proceedings initiated by the ACFA. We will be discussing any actions or responses with our legal advisors.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
