On May 13, 2020, the Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta (ACFA) launched a campaign to alert the public to the precarious situation at Campus Saint-Jean (CSJ). Founded in 1908 as a classical college, the University of Alberta’s francophone faculty was facing a federal funding freeze coupled with cuts decreed by the United Conservative Party government of Jason Kenney. Compounding the possibility of course cancellations and job losses, there was also a vast restructuring plan that threatened the autonomy of CSJ.

In less than a week, the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française, the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario, and the Société nationale de l’Acadie threw their support behind the campaign. In August, the Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d’université added its weight. Political representations were organized to break the deadlock, without success. At the same time, the ACFA took legal action against the Alberta government and the University of Alberta to enforce the funding agreement signed in 1976, when the institution was transferred from the Oblate religious congregation to the province. This agreement guaranteed the unique character of the CSJ due to its history, and reaffirmed the importance of the French language as the cement of its educational and social mission.

In December 2020, the campaign paid off: the autonomy of the CSJ was preserved. On a national scale, however, the gains remained fragile. In Canada as a whole, only twenty French-language or bilingual post-secondary institutions exist outside of the Province of Quebec. Some are struggling in the face of stiff competition and rising operating costs. Some are calling for increased federal funding. In fact, demanding more funding was the primary concern of the États généraux sur le postsecondaire en milieu minoritaire which was held in 2022 by the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada.