Timeline of Federal Government Involvement for Education in Canada

1874 Parliamentary statute to establish "the Military College"

1885 Land endowment granted for the establishment of the University of Manitoba

1910 Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Vocational Education - "led to the provision of grants to the provinces for the purposes of developing agricultural techniques and training and upgrading vocational, technical and industrial education" (p. 2)

1916 Creation of the National Research Council (NRC) to enlarge Canada's research facilities during World War I

1939 Establishment of the Dominion-Provincial Student Aid Program (DPSAP)

1946 Influx of returning World War II veterans into the universities. In 1947-48 full-time university enrolment peaked at 83,882

federal government provided universities with annual grant of $150 for each veteran student

1951 Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters, and Sciences (Massey Commission)

1957 Creation of the Canada Council for the Encouragement of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

1957-67 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) provided loans to universities for building of student residences

1960 Separation of the Medical Research Council (MRC) from the National Research Council (NRC)

1964 Establishment of the Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP)

1965 AUCC sponsored Commission on Financing of Higher Education (Bladen Commission)

1963 Establishment of the Economic Council of Canada

1966 Direct involvement of the Department of the Secretary of State

1966 Establishment of the Education Support Branch of the Department of the Secretary of State formed to coordinate assistance given to universities

1966 Establishment of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC)

1966-67 Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act 1967

1967 Adult Occupation Training Act, which led to the Canada Manpower Training Program

1971 Formation of the Ministry for Science and Technology

1977 Federal-Provincial Arrangements Established Programs Financing Act (1977)

1978 Government Organizations Act (1976) which led to the creation of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

1982 Bill C-97. An Act to Amend the Federal-Provincial Arrangements and Established Programs Financing Act, 1977

1983 Dissolution of the Economic Council of Canada

1984 Bill C-12 Act to amend the Federal-Provincial Arrangements and Established Programs Financing Act

1986 Bill C-96 Act to Amend the Federal-Provincial Arrangements and Federal Post-secondary Education and Health Act Programs Act, 1977

1995 Bill C-76 Act to Implement Certain Provisions of the Budget Tabled in Parliament on February 27, 1995

1995 Amalgamation of Established Programs Financing (EPF) and Canada Assistance Plan (CAP)

1996 Canada Health and Social Transfer Act

1999 Bill C-65: An Act to Amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act

2004 Canada Learning Bond introduced as way to encourage low-income families to use a Registered Education Savings Plan for saving money to be used for a child's post-secondary education.

2004 Separation of the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) and Canada Social Transfer (CST)