Ministry of Education and Higher Education (Quebec)

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (in French: Ministère de l’Éducation 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
NameTook officeLeft officeParty
  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.

NameTook officeLeft officeParty
  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
  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. "Full list of cabinet ministers under the CAQ government". CTV News Montreal. 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  4. "Danielle McCann out as health minister as François Legault shakes up cabinet". 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
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