Education in Western Canada

Abstract

PUBLIC EDUCATION in Canada is a provincial responsibility and each of the ten provinces has its own independent school system.' This, however, does not preclude similarities. In western Canada similarities predominate and differences are largely a matter of emphasis. Western Canada consists of four provinces-British Columbia and the three prairie provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, an area larger than western and central Europe combined, but with only one-sixtieth of the population (4,807,893 in 1961). Like most parts of the world, western Canada has experienced considerable urbanization in recent years. Between 1941 and 1961 the urban population increased from 42 to 63 per cent. Urban growth has been greatest in British Columbia, with 79 per cent of the population living in cities and towns. Saskatchewan is the least urban, with only 43 per cent similarly situated. About two-thirds of the population in Manitoba and Alberta is urban. Canada's third and fourth largest metropolitan centres, Vancouver (790,165) and Winnipeg (475,989) are found in western Canada. Two of the provinces, Alberta, and British Columbia, are among the fastest growing in Canada. British Columbia's population has practically tripled since 1931; Alberta's has almost doubled.2 The recent urbanization of western Canada has been accompanied by a marked growth in industrialization and mechanization. In agriculture the shortage of farm labor has brought higher wages for farm help, which, in turn, has encouraged large-scale farming and a greater reliance on machine power. As a result, from 1951 to 1961, the agricultural labor force decreased from 39 to 33 per cent of the total labor force in western Canada.3 On the other hand, employment in industry increased substantially. During the 1939-59 period, Alberta led all of Canada with a triple increase in industrial employment. British Columbia more than doubled,