Mr. Speaker, Statistics Canada confirms Canada as a world leader in education.
Among OECD members, Canada had the highest percentage of population with post-secondary education in 1995. Canada's rate was 48%, much higher than the OECD average of 23%.
Canada also excels at the primary and secondary levels. As an example, Canadian students in grade eight placed well above the international average in both mathematics and science.
This level of success could not be achieved without the government's commitment to education. Per student expenditures on education in Canada, in the report, were $6,396, far above the OECD average of $4,717. Canada spent 7% of GDP on education, the highest among G-7 countries; higher than the OECD average of 5.6% and higher than the United States at 6.7%.
It is gratifying to see the results of this government's commitment to education.