Education in Canada

Canada is one of the few country in the world without a national department of education or an integrated national education system. Canada’s Constitution Act of 1867 provides that “[I]n and for each province, the legislature may exclusively make Laws in relation to Education.” In other words, education, in Canada, is under the exclusive jurisdiction of its ten provinces and three territories. The diversity of our education systems is reflected in their structures and terminologies
Reference Sources
Education Terminology in Canada
  • Canada’s Education Abroad Lexicon, Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE)
  • CMEC’s Terminology Bank — The terminology database and translation memory of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada.
  • E-Learning Glossary [PDF], Translation Bureau, Government of Canada
  • English Terminology Guide for Academic Credential Assessment in Canada (Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials)
  • Glossary of Mathematical Terms (French to English) — A shared resource by and for elementary and secondary math teachers, maintained by the University of Regina (Saskatchewan) Resource Centre.
  • Glossary of Student Loans [PDF], Translation Bureau, Government of Canada
  • Glossary of Terms: An Example of Terms used in Canadian Universities (University of Waterloo, Ontario)
  • ONTERM — Ontario’s government terminology in English and French, including official Ontario government names and titles.
    • ONTERM’s Ministry-Specific Lexicons (Children and Youth Services, Education/Training, Colleges and Universities, Emergency Management Ontario, and more).
  • University of Ottawa’s Terminology Bank — Terminology used at the University of Ottawa, both administrative and academic. Its purpose is to assist members of the academic community in their writing work, in both French and English, and to ensure clear and consistent communications at the University.
  • Vocabulary on distance teaching and telework
    The Vocabulary on distance teaching and telework is the result of a collaboration between the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) and the Government of Canada's Translation Bureau (TB). It contains the bilingual terminology for more than 80 concepts in these fields, along with their definitions.
Intergovernmental Organisations in Education
  • Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) — Inter­governmental body founded in 1967 by Canada’s ministers of education to serve as a mechanism to provide leadership in education at the pan-Canadian and international levels.
    • Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) — A unit of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) established in 1990 to provide information and referral services to individuals and organizations on the recognition of academic and occupational credentials.
Education-Related Canada-Wide Organisations
  • Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne (ACUFC) — ACUFC is a network of postsecondary educational institutions in Francophone Canada (outside Quebec).
  • Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) — A national voice for Canada’s post-secondary students.
  • Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) — The national voice of the academic community (professors, librarians, researchers and other academics).
  • Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBEI) — National, bilingual, and not for profit organization striving to make Canada a global leader in international education, dedicated to equity, quality, inclusiveness and partnership.
  • Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) — A bilingual national union of over one-half million students from more than 64 university and college students’ unions across Canada.
  • Canadian School Boards Association (CSBA) — The national voice for Canada’s school boards.
  • Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) —CTF is a non-profit organization and a national alliance of provincial and territorial Member organizations that represent over 273,000 teachers across Canada. CTF is also a member of Education International.
  • Centre de leadership et d'éducation (CLÉ) — A centre of expertise in consulting, leadership and evaluation that actively participates in the development and vitality of the Francophone Canada.
  • Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) —The Voice of Canada’s colleges and institutes. Canada’s extensive network of colleges and institutes plays a critical role in communities across the country.
  • Edcan Network — A network of passionate educators driven by the desire to promote public education.
  • Experiences Canada (formerly known as SEVEC) — A national registered charity that helps young Canadians explore their country through reciprocal exchanges, forums, conferences, and other opportunities to travel and connect with one another.
  • Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones (FNCSF) — The FNCSF represents 28 French-language school boards located (outside the province of Quebec) in nine provinces and three territories in Canada.
  • First Nations Education Council (FNEC) - The FNEC is an association that is based on the collective strength of its 22 member communities in an effort to provide quality education to all First Nations children.  
  • French-language education in Canada (ELF Canada) — French-language education in Canada is available in every province and territory, from daycare and early childhood education, and kindergarten programs to  elementary, secondary and postsecondary education.
  • Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC) — The Commission’ aim is to assist institutions and governments in enhancing the postsecondary learning environment in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
  • National Association of Career Colleges (NACC) — A voice for 500 career colleges across Canada.
  • Network of Translators in Education (NTE) — An organization bringing together independent workers and employees involved in fields as diverse as translation, interpretation, terminology, copy editing, writing, publishing, and communications, with a particular focus on education in Canada.
  • Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL) —  An agent of Parliament whose mandate is to promote Canadian linguistic duality and oversee the full implementation of the Official Languages Act.
  • Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE/UT) — OISE is recognized as a global leader in graduate programs in teaching and learning, continuing teacher education, and education research. As one of the largest and most research-intensive faculties of education in North America, OISE is an integral part of the University of Toronto.
  • Polytechnics Canada — The voice of leading research-intensive, publicly funded polytechnics, colleges and institutes of technology. We are dedicated to helping colleges and industry create jobs for tomorrow.
  • Réseau des cégeps et des collèges francophones du Canada (RCCFC) — A network of mutual assistance, promotion and exchanges dedicated to the development of French-language college education in Canada while promoting the use of information and communications technologies.
  • Statistics Canada, Education, training and learning — Statistical resources and reports provided in both official languages.
  • Universities Canada — The voice of a majority of Canada’s public and private not-for-profit universities and university colleges (formerly known as the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada).
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