Good morning! Welcome back to Queen Street Analytics' weekly roundup of regulatory developments, legislative discussions, political announcements and other government-related news concerning colleges, universities, campuses, research initiatives and funding, and the tri-council (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) agencies.

Every Monday, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

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Start Date: 2025-03-23
End Date: 2025-03-29

Top Headlines

Main Stories

BC's Investment in Adult Education Pathways

British Columbia invests nearly $4 million in tuition-free Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English Language Learning (ELL) pathways, spanning 23 programs across 11 public post-secondary institutions and Native Education College. The initiative supports skill upgrading for high-priority careers in healthcare, trades, and technology.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.gov.bc.ca

Alberta's Budget 2025 Invests in Career Education Programs

Alberta's Budget 2025 proposes over $100 million for career education programs, expanding collegiate and dual-credit programs. This funding supports partnerships with businesses, universities, and colleges, aiming to provide students with practical experience in fields such as trades and healthcare. The initiative aligns with Alberta's focus on job-focused education.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.alberta.ca

Language Use Among Postsecondary Graduates in Canada

StatsCan reports 95% of Quebec graduates with English mother tongue and 93% of Canadian graduates outside Quebec with French mother tongue studied in French language schools.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: www.statcan.gc.ca

Provincial Announcements

Saskatchewan Health Human Resources Action Plan Funding

Saskatchewan's 2025-26 Budget allocates $156.1 million to the Health Human Resources Action Plan, enhancing recruitment and training of health professionals. Since 2022, the plan has facilitated the hiring of 488 physicians and 1,880 nursing graduates, underscoring a commitment to strengthening the healthcare workforce in the province.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.saskatchewan.ca

Saskatchewan Polytechnic Trades Building Procurement Advances

Three teams move to the Request for Proposals stage for the new Trades and Technology building at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, aimed at modernizing skilled trades training.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.saskatchewan.ca

Alberta Plans Advanced Skills Centre at NAIT

Alberta invests $20 million in planning the Advanced Skills Centre at NAIT, projected to train 4,200 apprentices annually in fields like construction and energy.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.alberta.ca

Public Officials' Social Media

Kevin Vuong Criticizes Delays in Loan Interest Elimination

MP Kevin Vuong criticized the Liberal government's delay in eliminating interest on federal student loans, despite promises made in 2021.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

Senator Stan Kutcher Advocates for Attracting STEM talent

Senator Stan Kutcher emphasized Canada's opportunity to attract scientific talent amid U.S. research funding cuts, advocating for enhanced TriCouncils funding.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

Dan Mazier Discusses Plagiarism Allegations

MP Dan Mazier shared a statement on Twitter regarding plagiarism allegations in Mark Carney's doctoral thesis, citing academic evaluations.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

Pat Kelly Comments on Plagiarism Allegations

MP Pat Kelly tweeted about allegations of plagiarism in Mark Carney's Oxford thesis, quoting academic opinions on the matter.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

Senator Kristopher Wells Stands for Academic Freedom

Senator Kristopher Wells tweeted about the importance of defending academic freedom from government interference, emphasizing its role in universities.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

Brad Vis Advocates for Apprenticeship Grants

MP Brad Vis announced Conservative plans to reinstate apprenticeship grants and fund trade schools, aiming to train 350,000 workers.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

What We're Reading This Week

• Tackling wicked problems with innovative approaches to education: Discusses educational strategies addressing complex challenges.
• Bridging the gap between university and practice: Examines efforts to connect academic learning with practical application.
• International students weigh new risks of pursuing higher education in the US under Trump: Explores challenges faced by international students in the U.S.
• Trump restricts federal research funding, a lifeblood for colleges: Reports on U.S. policy changes impacting college research funds.
• Colleges rely on federal research funding. Under Trump, its future is in doubt: Analyzes uncertainty in college research funding under the Trump administration.
• As Trump cuts university research, American scholars look north: Highlights Canadian opportunities as U.S. research funding decreases.
• Hundreds of part-time college instructors affected by drop in foreign enrollment: Details impact on instructors amid declining international student numbers.