Ministry of Education and Higher Education (Quebec)
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (in French: Ministère de l’Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur, abbreviated as MEES) is the government ministry of Quebec that governs education, recreation, and sports.
The minister is the individual who has the political responsibility for the regulation and oversight of educational services offered in the province as well as for the Ministry of Education.
History
The Quebec government abolished the Ministry of Public Instruction in 1875 to submit to the ultramontane Roman Catholic clergy which considered education the domain of the family and the Church, not the state.[1]
Under the new provincial government of Premier Jean Lesage, in 1964 a Ministry of Education was established with Paul Gérin-Lajoie appointed the first Minister of Education since 1875.[2]
For the majority of the time since the creation of the position, the minister has been responsible for both the period including up to and including secondary education and post-secondary education.
Ministers of education
| Name | Took office | Left office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Gérin-Lajoie | May 13, 1964 | June 16, 1966 | Liberal | |
| Jean-Jacques Bertrand | June 16, 1966 | October 31, 1967 | Union Nationale | |
| Jean-Guy Cardinal | October 31, 1967 | May 12, 1970 | Union Nationale | |
| Guy Saint-Pierre | May 12, 1970 | February 2, 1972 | Liberal | |
| François Cloutier | February 2, 1972 | July 31, 1975 | Liberal | |
| Jérôme Choquette | July 31, 1975 | September 26, 1975 | Liberal | |
| Raymond Garneau | September 26, 1975 | January 20, 1976 | Liberal | |
| Jean Bienvenue | January 20, 1976 | November 26, 1976 | Liberal | |
| Jacques-Yvan Morin | November 26, 1976 | November 6, 1980 | Parti Québécois | |
| Camille Laurin | November 6, 1980 | March 5, 1984 | Parti Québécois | |
| Yves Bérubé | March 5, 1984 | December 20, 1984 | Parti Québécois | |
| François Gendron | December 20, 1984 | December 12, 1985 | Parti Québécois | |
| Claude Ryan | December 12, 1985 | October 5, 1990 | Liberal | |
| Michel Pagé | October 5, 1990 | October 29, 1992 | Liberal | |
| Lucienne Robillard | October 29, 1992 | January 11, 1994 | Liberal | |
| Jacques Chagnon | January 11, 1994 | September 25, 1994 | Liberal | |
| Jean Garon | September 26, 1994 | January 28, 1996 | Parti Québécois | |
| Pauline Marois | January 28, 1996 | December 15, 1998 | Parti Québécois | |
| François Legault | December 15, 1998 | January 30, 2002 | Parti Québécois | |
| Sylvain Simard | January 30, 2002 | April 29, 2003 | Parti Québécois | |
| Pierre Reid | April 29, 2003 | February 18, 2005 | Liberal | |
| Jean-Marc Fournier | February 18, 2005 | April 18, 2007 | Liberal | |
| Michelle Courchesne | April 18, 2007 | August 10, 2010 | Liberal | |
| Line Beauchamp | August 10, 2010 | May 14, 2012 | Liberal | |
| Michelle Courchesne | May 14, 2012 | September 19, 2012 | Liberal | |
| Marie Malavoy | September 19, 2012 | April 23, 2014 | Parti Québécois | |
| Yves Bolduc | April 23, 2014 | February 26, 2015 | Liberal | |
| François Blais | February 27, 2015 | January 28, 2016 | Liberal | |
| Pierre Moreau | January 28, 2016 | February 22, 2016 | Liberal | |
| Sébastien Proulx | February 22, 2016 | October 18, 2018 | Liberal | |
| Jean-François Roberge | October 18, 2018 | Incumbent | Coalition Avenir Québec | |
Ministers of higher education
Between 1984 and 1994, a second cabinet position was dedicated to higher education in addition to the position responsible for primary and secondary education. Premier Pauline Marois has restored this function with the nomination of Pierre Duchesne on September 19, 2012. Following the 2014 election, the function was re-merged with Education.
It was re-created in 2016 following Pierre Moreau's leave of absence for health reasons, in which his responsibilities were divided. Under François Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec government elected in 2018, the position was briefly re-merged again,[3] but reinstated in June 2020 as part of a shuffle.[4]
The following persons have served as Quebec's Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology.
| Name | Took office | Left office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yves Bérubé | December 20, 1984 | October 16, 1985 | Parti Québécois | |
| Jean-Guy Rodrigue | October 16, 1985 | December 12, 1985 | Parti Québécois | |
| Claude Ryan | December 12, 1985 | October 5, 1990 | Liberal | |
| Lucienne Robillard | October 5, 1990 | January 11, 1994 | Liberal | |
| Pierre Duchesne | September 19, 2012 | April 23, 2014 | Parti Québécois | |
| Hélène David | February 22, 2016 | October 18, 2018 | Liberal | |
| Danielle McCann | June 22, 2020 | Incumbent | Coalition Avenir Québec | |
Further reading
- Hunte K. D. (1964). The Ministry of Public Instruction in Québec: 1867-1875, Ph.D. thesis, McGill University
References
- ^ Nemni, Max and Monique. Young Trudeau: 1919-1944: Son of Quebec, Father of Canada. p. 31 Douglas Gibson Books. ISBN 978-0-7710-6749-5
- ^ Nemni, Max and Monique. Young Trudeau: 1919-1944: Son of Quebec, Father of Canada. p. 46 Douglas Gibson Books. ISBN 978-0-7710-6749-5
- ^ "Full list of cabinet ministers under the CAQ government". CTV News Montreal. 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ "Danielle McCann out as health minister as François Legault shakes up cabinet". 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
External links
- Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports
- Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports (in French)
- Minister's Official Webpage (in French)
- Quebec Ministry of Education at the Wayback Machine (archive index)