Canadian Council of Chief Executives

Human and Community Development

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Education

Education is critical to equality of opportunity in our society, to the competitiveness of Canadian enterprises and to the future prosperity of our country. Every sector of society, including business, has a role to play in improving access to lifelong learning and the quality of education available to Canadian children and adults.

The impact of early childhood development on economic and social success is widely accepted, and the creation of the Canada Child Tax Benefit has improved the prospects of children living in poverty. However, numerous challenges remain, including inconsistent delivery at the community level and a lack of equity in the support offered through government programs and tax rules to families in different circumstances.
Children must graduate from high school with the skills and motivation they will need to function effectively as global citizens in the modern economy. While provincial governments have jurisdiction over schools, we must work as a country to enhance learning standards and accountability, and to help schools make the most effective use of public spending in continuing to improve educational outcomes.
All young Canadians must have access to and should be encouraged to pursue some form of post-secondary education. Two challenges are most urgent: reducing the financial barriers to college and university while ensuring that institutions can offer top quality education; and encouraging more high-school students to consider apprenticeships in skilled trades as an attractive avenue to well-paid careers.
Larger companies generally understand the benefits of investing in the skills and knowledge of employees, but the degree of investment in training tends to fall with company size. Efforts are needed on two fronts: to show managers at smaller companies how such investments pay off; and to ensure that the supply of opportunities for learning meets the needs of smaller as well as larger employers.
Excessive marginal tax rates reduce the number of people willing to invest in their own education and training. If learning new skills does not result in meaningful growth in after-tax income, fewer people will bother to try.
Governments must encourage Canadians who invest in learning to put their hard-won skills to work in Canada. Our country benefits greatly from immigration and should expect to contribute to the global talent pool in return. But the drain of even a few top brains in any field can damage Canadian competitiveness and future growth.


Click for further information:	Home >> Human and Community Development >> Education Education Education is critical to equality of opportunity in our society, to the competitiveness of Canadian enterprises and to the future prosperity of our country. Every sector of society, including business, has a role to play in improving access to lifelong learning and the quality of education available to Canadian children and adults. The impact of early childhood development on economic and social success is widely accepted, and the creation of the Canada Child Tax Benefit has improved the prospects of children living in poverty. However, numerous challenges remain, including inconsistent delivery at the community level and a lack of equity in the support offered through government programs and tax rules to families in different circumstances. Children must graduate from high school with the skills and motivation they will need to function effectively as global citizens in the modern economy. While provincial governments have jurisdiction over schools, we must work as a country to enhance learning standards and accountability, and to help schools make the most effective use of public spending in continuing to improve educational outcomes. All young Canadians must have access to and should be encouraged to pursue some form of post-secondary education. Two challenges are most urgent: reducing the financial barriers to college and university while ensuring that institutions can offer top quality education; and encouraging more high-school students to consider apprenticeships in skilled trades as an attractive avenue to well-paid careers. Larger companies generally understand the benefits of investing in the skills and knowledge of employees, but the degree of investment in training tends to fall with company size. Efforts are needed on two fronts: to show managers at smaller companies how such investments pay off; and to ensure that the supply of opportunities for learning meets the needs of smaller as well as larger employers. Excessive marginal tax rates reduce the number of people willing to invest in their own education and training. If learning new skills does not result in meaningful growth in after-tax income, fewer people will bother to try. Governments must encourage Canadians who invest in learning to put their hard-won skills to work in Canada. Our country benefits greatly from immigration and should expect to contribute to the global talent pool in return. But the drain of even a few top brains in any field can damage Canadian competitiveness and future growth.
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