Press Releases: 2008

CMEC Playing a Key Role at the International Conference on Education (ICE) in Switzerland

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto, November 20, 2008 -- The Chair of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) and Minister of Education for New Brunswick, the Honourable Kelly Lamrock, is pleased to be heading the Canadian delegation to the 48th session of the ICE, which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 25 to 28, 2008. The Canadian delegation will include officials from New Brunswick, Quebec, the CMEC Secretariat, the Canadian Commission for ...

Ministers Advance Learn Canada 2020 priorities

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Fredericton, September 23, 2008 – Education ministers committed today to meeting with First Nation, Métis, and Inuit leaders from across Canada to address Aboriginal education. Ministers were in Fredericton, New Brunswick, for the 94th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), where they worked on key education priorities including Aboriginal education, literacy, and postsecondary education fund...

Launch of Brand for Education in Canada

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Fredericton, September 22, 2008 – The ministers of education have developed a brand for education in Canada.

Today marks the launch of this brand, aimed at promoting the country's education systems and institutions.  Ministers of education are confident that this country-wide effort will attract an increasing number of foreign students to Canada.

“We are thrilled at the prospect of implementing th...

Opinion-Editorial: Canada's Education Ministers Make Literacy a Priority

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By The Honourable Kelly Lamrock, Minister of Education for New Brunswick and Chair of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC)

By The Honourable Shirley Bond, Minister of Education for British Columbia, CMEC'S lead province for literacy

September 5, 2008

On September 8, Canada will join countries around the world to celebrate International Literacy Day (ILD). ILD was establi...

Official-Languages Programs: 35th Anniversary of the Language Assistant Program

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Quebec City, August 27, 2008 -- The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) is proud to mark the 35th anniversary of the Language Assistant Program. The Honourable Kelly Lamrock, Minister of Education for New Brunswick and Chair of CMEC, told a gathering of some 215 language assistants attending a pan-Canadian training session in Quebec City: “I am pleased to be here with so many young ...

No New Federal Funding for Official Languages in Education

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Toronto, July 14, 2008 – Through the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), the ministers responsible for education across the country are pleased that federal funding for the official languages in education will continue but have expressed disappointment that the Government of Canada will not increase its funding under its new Roadmap for Linguistic Duality in Canada, announced by the Minister of Canadian Heritage on June 19, 20...

On-line Literacy Forum Archives Mark CMEC Literacy Push

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Toronto, July 4, 2008 – The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) today launches its Literacy Forum archives, a diverse collection of webcast stories, experiences, and expertise on literacy. Ministers of education from across Canada, under B.C.'s leadership, have united in their commitment to help the many Canadians who struggle with literacy skills every day.

In April 2008, the CMEC Pan-...

The Canadian Education Statistics Council Releases Updated Indicators in Education

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Toronto, June 16, 2008 -- The Canadian Education Statistics Council, a partnership between the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) and Statistics Canada, released today 63 updated tables from the report Education Indicators in Canada: A Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program (PCEIP). Released in December 2007, the report is a comprehensive data compendium on the characteristics and functioning of educat...

CMEC Copyright Consortium Pleased with New Federal Copyright Legislation

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Toronto, June 13, 2008 — Education ministers across Canada were quick to respond positively to the tabling of new federal copyright legislation in Ottawa yesterday. The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) Copyright Consortium has been vocal in expressing its view that the new legislation must clearly state that students and teachers have fair and reasonable access to publicly available Internet materials in the...

Open Letter: Response Letter to the Globe and Mail: 40 Years of Pan-Canadian Cooperation in Education

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In his column on education in last May 22 issue of the Globe and Mail, Gary Mason describes an important change in Switzerland's education policy. He suggests that Canada could learn a lot from the Swiss, particularly with respect to establishing national objectives and better harmonization among the provinces and territories.

Comparisons between the two countries have little validity and can be seriously misleading. Switzerland is a relatively small coun...

Government of Canada and Provincial and Territorial Governments Work Together to Simplify Student Loans

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Saint John, NB, May 21, 2008 -- The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and the Honourable Kelly Lamrock, Chair of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada and Minister of Education for New Brunswick, today announced a federal-provincial/territorial partnership to provide students with simple, easy-to-manage access to financial assistance.

Currently, many of the federal, provincial and territ...

Remarkable Results For Canadian Students In Reading

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Toronto, April 28, 2008  -- The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), released their first report today from the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) on the evaluation of 13-year-old students across Canada in Reading, Mathematics, and Science. Results gathered in this report indicate that most students across Canada are reading at and above the expected level of performance for their age group.

Canadians have long been inte...

Education Ministers Release "Learn Canada 2020"

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Toronto, April 15, 2008 -- A bold new vision for learning in Canada was released today by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), to address the education needs and aspirations of Canadians. The statement comes on the second day of CMEC's innovative Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum, which is being held in nine different locations across the country.

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Canada's Education Ministers Take the Lead on Literacy

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TORONTO, April 14, 2008 -- The Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum, an innovative event sponsored by Canada's education ministers through their intergovernmental body, the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), is now under way in nine different locations across the country.

“We can't afford to be silent about the fact that millions of Canadians struggle with literacy,” said Shirley Bond, British Columbia's...

93rd CMEC Meeting: Ministers of Education Initiate National Dialogue

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Toronto, February 26, 2008  -- Ministers of Education from across Canada met in Toronto and agreed to new initiatives to promote and enhance their key priorities: Aboriginal education, literacy, and postsecondary education capacity.

Aboriginal Education

Ministers believe that eliminating the education gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples is an economic and moral necessity.  To that end, mini...