CMEC MILESTONES - 1967 to 2024

  • The Standing Committee of Ministers Responsible for Education (later called the Standing Committee of Ministers of Education) is created



  • The Standing Committee of Ministers of Education studies ways to promote better interprovincial cooperation in education
  • The Standing Committee of Ministers of Education agrees to recommend to all ministers of education that a council of education ministers be established
    The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), is established by unanimous agreement among provincial ministers of education
    CMEC supports OECD’s proposal to create the Centre for Education Research and Innovation (CERI) and confirms the Council’s role in determining CERI’s Canadian representation
  • CMEC agrees to continue the exchange of English- and French- language teachers, originally a centennial project of the Standing Committee of Ministers of Education

  • The Summer Language Bursary Program (SLBP), now called Explore, begins offering young people the opportunity to travel and learn French or English as a second language
  • The Official-Language Monitor Program (OLMP), now called Odyssey, begins offering young people the chance to travel and serve as first-official-language speakers in the classroom
  • CMEC partners with Radio Canada to produce a series of radio and television programs for students on Canadian economic structures and institutions and on the cultural life and human geography of French Canada
    CMEC announces it will coordinate an OECD review of the different education systems
  • Yukon and Northwest Territories begin participating as observers in some CMEC activities
    CMEC publishes a metric guide for students in response to Canada’s adoption of the metric system
  • CMEC and the federal government sign their first MOU affirming CMEC’s role as Canada’s voice for education on the international stage
  • CMEC publishes its first Student Transfer Guide to facilitate student mobility at the secondary level
    CMEC develops its first Report on the State of Minority Language Education in the Ten Provinces at the request of provincial premiers
  • CMEC and the People’s Republic of China establish a Chinese scholars' program to bring Chinese students to Canada to study at Canadian institutions
  • Ministers of education from Yukon and Northwest Territories participate in a CMEC meeting for the first time
  • CMEC undergoes its first formal internal review, the results of which are published in what becomes known as the Penny report
    CMEC hosts the Conference on Postsecondary Education Issues in Canada for the 1980s
    CMEC and the federal government update their MOU affirming CMEC’s role as Canada’s voice for education on the international stage
  • CMEC and the federal government sign the first protocol on funding for official languages in education, enabling the regular transfer to the provinces of hundreds of millions of dollars for minority-language and second-language education
  • Canada is elected to the Council of the International Bureau of Education (IBE) where it is represented by CMEC
  • CMEC hosts the National Forum on Postsecondary Education in Saskatoon
  • Education ministers voice their concern about the effect on education of proposed revisions to Canada’s copyright laws
    CMEC participates in the establishment of the Indicators of Education Systems (INES) program at OECD
    CMEC and the federal government sign the latest in a series of multi-million-dollar protocols, enabling the regular transfer to the provinces of hundreds of millions of dollars for minority-language and second-language education
  • The Canadian Education Statistics Council (CESC), an innovative partnership between CMEC and Statistics Canada to collect and facilitate the analysis of education data, is established
    CMEC and the federal government reach agreement on Canadian accession to the UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees
  • The Canadian Education Statistics Council (CESC), a joint body of CMEC and Statistics Canada, releases A Statistical Portrait of Elementary and Secondary Education in Canada, which, for the first time, includes a set of comparable indicators jointly developed by provinces and territories
    CMEC and the federal government establish the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) to facilitate the assessment and recognition of international academic and occupational credentials
  • CMEC and the federal government agree to establish the School Achievement Indicators Program (SAIP), an unprecedented pan-Canadian student assessment tool
    CMEC and the federal government launch a three-year study on HIV and sexual health education in response to the AIDS crisis
  • Education ministers release their Victoria Joint Declaration, a ministerial statement on the education priorities of the provinces and territories
    CMEC and Statistics Canada establish the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program (PCEIP), which provides comparable data and analysis about learning in the provinces and territories
  • Territorial ministers of education become members of CMEC
    CMEC holds the First National Consultation on Education in Montreal, bringing together education stakeholders from across Canada
  • Ministers of education from all provinces and territories except Quebec issue a Statement on Copyright, outlining their position on copyright issues related to education
    CMEC releases the Report on Education in Canada, as part of its commitment to provide national leadership in education
  • CMEC holds the Second National Consultation on Education in Edmonton, bringing together education stakeholders from across the country
    CMEC and the federal government sign the latest in a series of multi-million-dollar protocols, enabling the regular transfer to the provinces and territories of hundreds of millions of dollars for minority-language and second-language education
    The Canadian Education Statistics Council (CESC), a partnership between CMEC and Statistics Canada, publishes the first report from the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program (PCEIP) which provides comparable data and analysis about learning in the provinces and territories
  • The Canadian Education Statistics Council (CESC), a partnership between CMEC and Statistics Canada, initiates the Pan-Canadian Education Research Agenda (PCERA) to bring attention to issues in education that are of common concern to researchers, policy makers, and practitioners across Canada
    CMEC and the federal government sign on to the UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region, now known as the Lisbon Convention
  • CMEC holds the third national consultation on education in St. John’s, bringing together education stakeholders from across Canada
    CMEC commits to participation in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), one of the most ambitious international assessments of student performance ever undertaken by OECD
  • Education ministers release an updated version of their Victoria Joint Declaration on provincial and territorial education priorities
    CMEC approves an interjurisdictional protocol on the suspension and cancellation of teaching certificates and agrees that provincial and territorial registrars for teacher certification will begin meeting regularly to discuss issues related to teacher mobility
    Nunavut, Canada’s newest territory, becomes a member of CMEC
    Under the aegis of CMEC, a consortium of ministers of education release a major report on public expectations for postsecondary education in Canada
    Under the aegis of CMEC, the Copyright Consortium, made up of provinces and territories, with the exception of Quebec, is founded, and negotiates its first pan-Canadian copying license with CANCOPY
  • Education ministers host the 14th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Halifax, with over 50 countries in attendance
    CMEC and the federal government sign the latest in a series of multi-million-dollar protocols enabling the regular transfer to the provinces and territories of hundreds of millions of dollars for minority- and second-language education
    Under the aegis of CMEC, the Copyright Consortium, made up of provinces and territories, with the exception of Quebec, publishes Copyright Matters!, a guide to copyright for students, educators, and parents
  • CMEC issues its Ministerial Statement on Credit Transfer
  • Under the aegis of CMEC, a consortium of provinces and territories establishes the Pan-Canadian French-as-a-First-Language Project (PCFFLP) to facilitate enhanced learning outcomes among francophones outside Quebec
    Ministers of education agree to establish the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) that will continue the tradition of pan-Canadian student assessment begun by CMEC’s School Achievement Indicators Program (SAIP)
    CMEC undergoes its 2nd internal review, the results of which are published in Framework for the Future
    CMEC takes over funding of the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) after the federal government withdraws its financial support
  • CMEC and the federal government launch the Pan-Canadian Designation Policy Framework to improve the performance and accountability of student financial assistance programs
  • In follow up to its declaration of Aboriginal education as a priority issue deserving targeted activity, CMEC releases its first Aboriginal education action plan, which focuses on best practices, evidence-based decision making, and teacher training
    CMEC hosts Unlocking our Children's Potential: Literacy and Numeracy as a Foundation, a pan-Canadian forum featuring current research and successful practices in literacy and numeracy for school-aged children
    CMEC and the federal government sign the latest in a series of multi-million-dollar protocols, enabling the regular transfer to the provinces and territories of hundreds of millions of dollars for minority-language and second-language education
  • CMEC hosts Investing in Our Potential: Towards Quality Adult Literacy Programs in Canada, a forum on adult literacy
  • Under the aegis of CMEC, ministers responsible for advanced education issue their Ministerial Statement on Quality Assurance of Degree Education in Canada, which includes a unique framework for degree-level education that sets out expected learning outcomes for students studying at the undergraduate and graduate levels
    CMEC commits to participation in the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), a major new OECD assessment of adult literacy and skills
  • CMEC releases the results from the first Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP)
    CMEC releases Learn Canada 2020, a new ministerial statement on the education priorities of the provinces and territories
    CMEC hosts the Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum in multiple cities across Canada linking close to 3,000 participants
    CMEC and the federal government launch Canada’s new brand for international education, Imagine Education au/in Canada
  • CMEC hosts the Summit on Aboriginal Education in Saskatoon, which brings together a wide range of stakeholders to discuss ways to improve Aboriginal education outcomes
    CMEC and the federal government sign the latest in a series of multi-million-dollar protocols, enabling the regular transfer to the provinces and territories of hundreds of millions of dollars for minority-language and second-language education
    Under the aegis of CMEC, selected provinces commit to participation in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)
    CMEC releases the inaugural edition of Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective 2011, a companion report to OECD’s Education Indicators at Glance (EAG), to highlight individual provincial and territorial results
    CMEC hosts the Educators’ Forum on Aboriginal Education in Winnipeg, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders in Aboriginal education to discuss what works in early childhood and K-12 education
  • Under the aegis of CMEC, selected provinces commit to participation in the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS)
    OECD and CMEC release results from the latest assessment undertaken by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
    CMEC hosts the first high-level consultation with the People’s Republic of China in Winnipeg
    CMEC and a variety of partners commit to dramatically increased sampling in the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), making it possible for provincial- and-territorial-level data, data by official language, and data by selected subpopulation
  • CMEC and its federal partner, Heritage Canada, celebrate the 40th anniversary of Explore, a language learning program attended by over a quarter of a million of Canadian young people since it was founded in 1971
    CMEC holds a special session with leaders of the national Aboriginal organizations (NAOs) to discuss First Nation, Métis, and Inuit education
    Premiers release the International Education Marketing Action Plan which was developed by CMEC and provincial and territorial ministers responsible for immigration
    Under the aegis of CMEC, ministers of education travel to Beijing, China, for the second high-level consultation with the People’s Republic of China
    CMEC releases results from the latest student assessment undertaken by the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP)
  • Parliament passes Bill C-11, Canada’s new copyright modernization law, which includes an education amendment championed by the CMEC Copyright Consortium
    CMEC celebrates its 100th meeting in Halifax
    CMEC and the International Association for the Evaluation of Education Achievement (IEA) will release the first results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)
  • CMEC and OECD release the first results from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), a major new OECD assessment of adult literacy and skills
    CMEC and OECD release results from the latest assessment undertaken by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
    CMEC and its federal partner, Canadian Heritage, celebrate the 40th anniversary of Odyssey, which has provided thousands of official-language speakers to schools across Canada since 1973
  • CMEC releases results from the latest student assessment undertaken by the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP)
    Under the aegis of CMEC, ministers of education travel to Beijing, China, for the third high-level consultation with the People’s Republic of China
    CMEC and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) release the first results from the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS)
    Education and labour-market ministers host Skills for the Future, a symposium on aligning education and skills-training systems with labour markets, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
  • Education and labour-market ministers release the Toolkit of Promising Practices, which shares best practices in aligning education and skills-training with labour markets
    CMEC hosts the first-ever pan-Canadian Aboriginal Educators’ Symposium in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
    CMEC hosts the 5th International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP 2015) in Banff, Alberta, in partnership with The Learning Partnership, OECD, and Education International
  • The CMEC Copyright Consortium launches the Copyright Decision Tool, an on-line resource for teachers
    Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut become eligible to serve as Chair of CMEC
    CMEC and the Government of Canada launch the new pan-Canadian education brand, EduCanada: A world of possibilities
    CMEC and OECD release results from the latest assessment undertaken by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
  • CMEC celebrates 50 years of providing pan-Canadian leadership in education
    CMEC will release a reference framework on student transitions
    Ministers will work toward a formal multi-year strategic plan for CMEC
    Under the aegis of CMEC, ministers of education will travel to Beijing, China, for the fourth high-level consultation with the People’s Republic of China
    CMEC will release results from the latest student assessment undertaken by the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP)
    CMEC will publish additional Canadian reports based on data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)