the briefing room

Opening the Door: Reducing Barriers to Post-Secondary Education in Canada

It is clear to the committee that, despite the high educational attainment of its population, Canada has a vested interest in thoroughly examining the accessibility of post-secondary education (PSE) or it could find itself at a disadvantage internationally. But how do we improve the situation in a country with one of the most educated populations in the world? The committee suggests that this can be achieved by focusing our efforts on groups that, relative to their proportion of the population, are under-represented in post-secondary educational institutions. As Professor Dale Kirby of Memorial University of Newfoundland explained, “to grow our post-secondary enrolments further we must have public policy that is specifically designed to address the impediments to participation for Canadians who have traditionally been excluded.” These groups include, among others, Aboriginal peoples, disabled persons, “first–generation” students, students from rural or remote areas, and students from low-income families.