$480,000 FOR FRENCH LANGUAGE AQUACULTURE TRAINING IN CAPE BRETON

Dartmouth, N.S. -- The Honourable Robert G. Thibault, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation, and Rodger Cuzner, M.P. for Bras d'Or - Cape Breton, announced today that the Government of Canada is providing $480,000 to support a French language aquaculture training program and an aquaculture service centre at the Collège de l'Acadie in Petit de Grat, Nova Scotia.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) arranged the funds through the Interdepartmental Partnership with the Official Language Communities (IPOLC), administered by Canadian Heritage. Under this partnership, DFO and Canadian Heritage each contribute $180,000, and the Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation provides $120,000. These funds will enable francophone students studying in Petit de Grat, Nova Scotia to take French courses provided by the Centre spécialisé des peches de Grand-Rivicre (CSP) in Gaspé, Quebec. Courses offered through this 'distance learning program' will be adapted for delivery on the Internet.

This funding demonstrates our government's commitment to supporting the development of minority official-language communities across Canada, as required by the Official Languages Act, said Minister Thibault. It also highlights the importance we place on supporting economic development in Cape Breton.

Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, said he was pleased to support this important project, By enabling Acadians to pursue a highly technical education in the French language, we are helping to create a multi-skilled aquaculture workforce, he said. These technicians will apply their expertise to encourage innovation and sustainable development throughout the aquaculture industry in Cape Breton.

The IPOLC was designed to establish new sustainable partnerships and to reinforce those that already exist between official language communities living in minority situations and federal organizations. The initiative aims to ensure that federal programs, policies and services take into consideration the needs and realities of these communities in order to support their development.

To that end, the IPOLC offers additional funding, up to an equal amount to the contributions made by other federal organizations. The Department of Canadian Heritage plans to allocate $27.5 million to the initiative over a period of five years.

The CSP specializes in training in fisheries and aquaculture, and has an applied research centre that provides technical assistance and technology transfers to these industries. The Centre will develop distance learning tools and techniques to support the training to be delivered at the Collège de l'Acadie in Petit de Grat, Nova Scotia. Of all the training centres of the Collège de l'Acadie, the Petit de Grat campus has the largest number of students and has built a reputation for creating innovative programs that help reduce the dependence on social programs of people from the fishing industry.

FOR INFORMATION:

David Jennings
Communications Branch
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Maritimes Region
(902) 426-3555
JenningsD@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Sylvie Buendia Riva
Policy and Economics Branch
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Ottawa
(613) 990-0110
BuendiaS@dfo-mpo.gc.ca