Canada Post-Secondary Education Act

An Act to establish criteria and conditions in respect of funding for post-secondary education programs in order to ensure the quality, accessibility, public administration and accountability of those programs

This bill was last introduced in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session, which ended in March 2011.

Sponsor

Niki Ashton  NDP

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of March 10, 2011
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment establishes criteria and conditions in respect of funding for post-secondary education programs to ensure the quality, accessibility, public administration and accountability of those programs before payments are made to a province by the Government of Canada in support of those programs. It also requires the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development to establish a framework for the division of the total Canada Social Transfer entitlement into two distinct components, the first to be provided to the provinces for the purpose of funding programs targeting social assistance and social services, and the second to be provided to the provinces solely for the purposes of post-secondary education.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Canada Post-Secondary Education ActRoutine Proceedings

March 10th, 2011 / 10:05 a.m.
See context

NDP

Niki Ashton NDP Churchill, MB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-635, An Act to establish criteria and conditions in respect of funding for post-secondary education programs in order to ensure the quality, accessibility, public administration and accountability of those programs.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to stand in the House to present my bill. This bill, known as the Canada post-secondary education act, is about establishing a vision for our country whereby the federal government works with the provinces to establish a post-secondary education program that looks toward our future and toward assisting our students and our young people in creating a much brighter future for all of us.

Whereas the Parliament of Canada recognizes that post-secondary education has an important role in the economic, social, cultural and political development of Canada.

Also, the post-secondary act, akin to the Canada Health Act, would guarantee accountable, stable federal transfers for post-secondary education and would enshrine the principles of accessibility and quality for Canadian students.

At a time when Canadian students and young people across our country are finding it increasingly difficult to afford their education and to achieve opportunities in our economy, it is essential that the federal government show leadership by working with the provinces to look out for them and to establish a way that accessible and affordable education can be there for all.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)