Key Stakeholders in Canadian Education: Part 2

Parents

Parents of elementary and secondary students are important stakeholders within Canada's education system. In 1922, the idea of parent involvement in the school system emerged, as parents began advising and advocating for issues they saw within the education system. There are many groups and associations across the providences run by parents.

Associations

Provincial Organizations:

The BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) is the largest parent association representing over 565,000 parents of students in public schools. This organization fosters collaboration between parents and government ministries, advocates for students, holds the system accountable, and encourages diversity and inclusion. This parent association usually comprises of two groups, the District Parents' Advisory Councils (DPAC), which is the voice for parents at the district level. The Parent Advisory Councils (PAC), in which parents were granted the right to be a part of in 1987, advises individual schools within the district. These groups seek to advise the government on issues affecting the education, health, and safety of Canadian children. They hold bi-yearly conferences and continue to push for legislative change in BC schools.
In 1990 Bill 180 in Ontario allowed for parents to create associations. Later in 2011, Ontario schools made Parental Involvement Committees (PIC) mandatory. Ontario allowed these PIC to form, as research suggested it is beneficial for parents to be engaged in the children's education. Similar to other provinces, this Ontario PIC serves as a direct link between parents to the director of education and the board of trustees and seeks to improve students' well-being and achievements.

Single Issued Organizations

Other influential parent organizations revolve around certain issues such as the group Canadian Parents for French. This group has 23,500 members across all of Canada with the primary goal of advocating for every student in Canada to have access to both French and English education and promote bilingualism. Other associations include Special Education Advisory Committees (SEACs) and the Children’s Aid Society (CAS), which seek to promote more accessible education and resources to all students.

Students

Most post-secondary institutions across Canada have a student representation on campus. Representation could be through student unions, organizations, or student governments.

Student Government

Student governments and councils are popular among university campuses. They are an elected body of student representatives that deal with school policy and issues on campus. Student governments are involved in a variety of issues, including:

Student advocacy: A primary service of student government that is peer-elected and advocates on behalf of the student body.
Services: Student governments can have the responsibility to organize, provide, and advocate for services such as health and dentist plans, safe walk programs, printing, food, room bookings, and more.
Clubs: Another part of student government is promoting a place for clubs and other organizations. Usually, clubs are student-run and organized on university campuses, and they have resources provided to them by the university.

Examples of Student Government: