Higher education in Canada includes provincial, territorial, Indigenous and military higher education systems. The ideal objective of Canadian higher education is to offer every Canadian the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to realize their utmost potential. It aspires to cultivate a world-class workforce, enhance the employment rate of Canadians, and safeguard Canada's enduring prosperity. Higher education programs are designed with the perspective of the learner in focus, to mitigate risks and assure definite outcomes.
According to a 2022 report by the OECD, Canada is one of the most educated countries in the world; Raw data OECD the country ranks first worldwide in the percentage of adults having tertiary education, with over 56 percent of Canadian adults having attained at least an undergraduate college or university degree.
Higher education systems in Canada
In Canada, the constitutional responsibility for higher education primarily rests with the provinces of Canada per the Constitution Act, 1867.Constitution Act, 1867, 30 & 31 Vict., c. 3 (U.K.), §§93–93A (formerly the British North America Act, 1867). Section 93 states that "in and for each Province, the Legislature may exclusively make laws in relation to Education". The jurisdictional issue of the decision was contentious from its inception.Standing Senate Committee on National Finance. (1987). Federal policy on post-secondary education. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services Canada As a result of this constitutional arrangement, a distinctive system of education, including higher education, has evolved in each province and territory. The federal government's direct involvement in higher education is currently limited to the Canadian Military Colleges and funding the education of Indigenous peoples.
The higher education systems in Canada's ten provinces include their historical development, organization (e.g., structure, governance, and funding), and goals (e.g., participation, access, and mobility). Each of the three territories in Canada (i.e., Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon) have separate higher education systems that reflect territorial history, organization, and goals in the context of geographical challenges.
Indigenous education Higher education for Indigenous peoples in Canada can be considered on a spectrum ranging from Indigenous to general programs and institutions. At one end, some institutions are specifically intended for Indigenous people, located in predominantly Indigenous communities, controlled by First Nations band governments or dedicated non-profit boards, and/or accredited by Indigenous bodies (often international in scope). At the other end are the mainstream provincial or territorial systems with general intake. In the middle could be considered focused programs chartered by provincial or territorial governments or affiliated to their mainstream institutions. (The spectrum does not consider programs outside Canada, whether Indigenous-focused or not.) The peculiar institutional situation of Indigenous education is the result of a quirk in jurisdictional division between the provinces and federal government as well as a negative relationship between Indigenous people and mainstream education due to the historical legacy of assimilationist policies pursued by Canadian authorities. Many Indigenous programs and institutions are growing much more rapidly than mainstream ones; nonetheless, most have lengthy institutional histories.
An example of an independent Indigenous institution is University nuhelot'įne thaiyots'į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills, which is not provincially chartered, unlike all other universities in Alberta but instead incorporated by federal statute.Shari Narine, "Blue Quills Celebrates New Status as Indigenous-Controlled University," Alberta Sweetgrass, 23, 1 (2015). The institution was founded as an Indian residential school in the 1930s before being occupied by a protest movement in 1970 and then transferred to Indigenous control in 1971. It was declared a university on September 1, 2015.
An example of an Indigenous institution federated with a larger university is First Nations University of Canada, which is part of the University of Regina.
An example of an Indigenous accreditation body is the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council.Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council is recognized, for instance, by the Province of Ontario as an accreditation body for post-secondary institutions. See General, O. Reg. 239/18 made under the Indigenous Institutes Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 34, Sched. 20.
Alberta
Higher education in Alberta trains students in various academic and vocational specializations. Generally, youth attend school from kindergarten until grade twelve, at which time they have the option to continue into post secondary study. Students are required to meet the individual entrance requirements for programs offered at the institution of their choice.Government of Alberta. "Queen's Printer:Post Secondary Learning Act" retrieved July 15, 2008. Once accepted, students are allowed greater educational opportunities through the province extensively developed articulation system. The Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer (ACAT) enables students transfer between programs at any of the twenty public post secondary institutions, eight private colleges, and other Alberta-based not for profit institutions.Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer. "Council Principles, Policies and Procedures" Retrieved July 15, 2008, Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer. "About ACAT" retrieved July 15, 2008, To ensure a continued high standard for credentials awarded by post secondary facilities, the Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education established the Campus Alberta Quality Council with membership in the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education.Alberta Government "Campus Alberta Quality Council:About the Council" retrieved July 15, 2008
Post-secondary education in Alberta is regulated by the Ministry of Advanced Education. There are eight public universities in Alberta, ten public colleges, three polytechnical institutes (which grant degrees), and seven private colleges (all of which grant degrees). Most private universities refer to themselves as "university colleges", and they grant equivalent degrees. One university, University nuhelotʼįne thaiyotsʼį nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills, is governed not under provincial legislation, but controlled directly by a consortium of seven First Nations band governments.
British Columbia
The provincial government administers a higher education system that includes twenty-five publicly funded institutions, fourteen private institutions, and numerous private career training institutions or career colleges. Public institutions include eleven universities, eleven colleges, and three institutes.
Much like the other regions in Canada, the educational system in British Columbia remained, for the most part, stagnant from the 1960s through the 1990s.Fisher, D & Rubenson, Kjell & Lee, J & Clift, Robert & Macivor, M & Meredith, J. (2014). The transformation of the PSE system in British Columbia. 35-121. During this period, education was divided into two main groups, the college and institute sector and the university sector. However, only the university sector was able to issue a formal degree. In an effort to match the growth of technology, to expand the economy, and to raise attendance rates, this system was revised in 1991 when the New Democratic Party took over control of the central government. One main revision to the education system was a focus on vocationalism, which allowed education to be centred around industry specific skills rather than a generic curriculum. Since some vocational schools already existed, the New Democratic Party found it most logical to join the existing vocational schools and colleges into singular institutions along with enacting new programs. By 1995 five new universities were created offering a mix of vocational programs and generic degree programs. This not only increased the number of attendance spots therefore making a higher education more accessible, but it also made education more practical and applicable to careers after university. In addition, Vocational schools were also used to retrain current members of the workforce so they could adapt with technological changes and advancements.Cleveland, Jim. (1995). A Policy Review of Government Intervention in Post-Secondary Vocational Education in British Columbia. Now that more students had access to specialized vocational programs they were more adept to enter specific industries and could therefore enlarge economic growth and technological innovation.
Post-secondary education in BC is regulated by the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. There are eleven public universities and five private universities in British Columbia. University enrolment in British Columbia ranges from Quest University Canada with 700 students to the University of British Columbia with 45,484 students.
The biggest provider of online and distance education in BC is Thompson Rivers University, Open Learning. With over 400 individual courses and more than 57 programs available for completion by distance and online learning, students can take a variety of programs such as adult secondary school completion; certificates and diplomas, including advanced and post-baccalaureate; associate degrees; and bachelor's degrees. Considering distance students, Thompson Rivers University's enrolment is 22,036 (8964 of which is distance).
Manitoba
A major public review of higher education in Manitoba, submitted in 1973 under the title of the Task Force on Postsecondary Education, more commonly known as the Oliver Commission, recommended closer articulation between Manitoba's universities and community colleges.Task Force on Postsecondary Education The system remains a binary one, however, with few university transfer programs or college courses which can be applied towards a university degree.Gregor, A.D. (1997). Higher education in Manitoba. In Jones, G.A. (Ed.), Higher education in Canada: Different systems, different perspectives (pp.115-136). New York: Garland The Roblin Commission of 1993 and subsequent declining allocations of the public purse have made it clear that post-secondary institutions will have to find their own private sources of funding to make up shortfalls in general operating budgets.
There are five public universities and one private university in Manitoba, which are under the responsibility of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Literacy. Three of the public universities—the University of Manitoba, which is the oldest university in western Canada, the University of Winnipeg, and Université de Saint-Boniface—are in Winnipeg, the capital and largest city in the province. Université de Saint-Boniface, established in 1818, is the oldest post-secondary institute in the province and is the only French-language university in western Canada. Brandon University is located in the western Manitoba city of Brandon. Canadian Mennonite University is a private Anabaptist university in Winnipeg.
The province also has three university colleges: Booth University College, formed in 1982 in Winnipeg, Providence University College in Otterburne, Manitoba, and the University College of the North, which serves the communities of The Pas and Thompson. Smaller satellite campuses serve 12 other smaller centres, 9 of which are on First Nations land.
University enrolment in Manitoba ranges from Booth University College with several hundred students to the University of Manitoba with 26,800 students.
New Brunswick