Chapter 4: Categorizing the Data -- Post-war documents -- 1957 to 1961 start years, and/or the 1960s documents

4.2c

Categorizing the data -- Post-war documents -- 1957 to 1961 start years, and/or the 1960s documents

(Highlighted documents are transcribed)

Province	Doc Type & Commissioner	Start Year	Complete Year	Doc Name
Nova Scotia	R1 – Mcnab	1957	1958	Royal Commission on School Construction
Alberta	R1 – Blackstock	1957	1958	Royal Commission on Teacher’s Salaries
Alberta	R1 – Cameron	1957	1959	Royal Commission on Education
Manitoba	R1 – MacFarlane	1957	1959	Royal Commission on Education
Saskatchewan	D – McAskill	1957	1961	Continuing Committee on Local Government
British Columbia	R1 – Chant	1958	1960	Royal Commission on Education
Prince Edward Island	R1 – LaZerte	1959	1960	Royal Commission on Educational Finance and Related Problems in Administration
Yukon	D – Brown et al.	1960	1960	Committee on Education for the Yukon Territory
New Brunswick	R1 – Deutsche	1961	1962	Royal Commission on Higher Education in New Brunswick
Quebec	R1 – Parent	1961	1966	Royal Commission of Inquiry on Education in the Province of Quebec

   In the year 2009 in a letter responding to provincial resistance existing at the Ministry level for an all-black culture school, a CBC listener writing to Michael Enright, called in from Denman Island commenting that the reason for lack of innovation was a bureaucracy and orientation stuck in 60s paradigm -- nothing had changed in essential Canadian attitudes and bureaucracy since the 1960s bureaucracy was constructed. Beginning in 1957 and under Pearson’s liberal government, important Canadian policy precedents were instituted, and the 1960s public education policy documents significantly shaped public education as Canadians interpret it now. At the same time, the policy production in these years refer less and less to international and internal examples. An exception might be Yukon’s 1960s document where three Canadian systems contribute to its final form. Otherwise the documents begin to narrow in focus. Certainly, a fifty year policy window points to the 1960s documents as integral to early 21^st century analysis. Fifty years from the 1960s decade of this specific collocated range of documents takes Canada to the 2010 to 2019 range, 2011 the year of writing for this research.

   The set of documents begun during the years 1957 to 1961 is a critical set, a defining set for the 20^th century. As I have already noted, four royal commissions are begun in the same year, 1957. The 1960 set contains, overall, a high number of R1 reports, 8 altogether.  This high number of R1 reports was produced in a five year start-year range, the years between 1957 and 1961. This number of R1 documents is unprecedented in terms of a collocated five year range of related Canadian public education policy documents. The depth of policy infusion via such a continuous set of intensive commissions is significant in terms of understanding historical Canadian public education policy development.  The 1960s set represents key years in Canadian public education, a watershed.  

   In terms of the 1960s documents identified here, there is a concentration of western R1 documents finalized in 1959 and 1960. Alberta and Manitoba completed their Cameron and MacFarlane commissions, in 1959. British Columbia finished its Chant Commission in 1960. Also completed in 1960 were the Yukon ‘departmental’ document overseen by a committee constructed of superintendents from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. All together the western provinces published within a historically unprecedented two year time frame. It is a closely collocated set of concentrated documents – British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan (1961) and Yukon (1960). The Manitoba 1959 commission is a functional document directly mainly at establishing teachers’ contracts. It compares markedly in its instrumentalism against Manitoba 1945 and 1947. Demand for teachers, demand for improvement in qualifications, demand by teachers for increased status are elements in this document. The other R1 commissions produced by Alberta and Saskatchewan cover broad aspects of education. 

   A comparison of the 1960s era R1 documents including Prince Edward Island’s LaZerte Report (1960) show a comparable overall focus on administration with the demand for teachers and administrative arrangements to contract teachers featuring highly. It could be said that issues of provincial centralization do not present significantly as a focus for discussion, that this was reserved for the post-war mid-1940s and 1950s documents.  Looking at the concentration of R1 documents with Prince Edward Island’s 1960 report included, we still need an explanation for the lack of representation of the Atlantic provinces in the 1960s era documents. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick seem to appear with important commissions both before and after the 1960s set. (In 1953 New Brunswick completed its report on finance. In 1954 Nova Scotia completed a report on finance also.) Nova Scotia also completes a report in 1958 on school construction and this report was commenced in 1957 and it is included in the 1960s era range discussed in this section. 

   Ontario’s primary commission of the century started in 1945 and completed in 1950 and included a comprehensive review of policy production in other provinces. Quebec in 1961 was just beginning its lengthy Parent Report and it would take five years to complete in total. Newfoundland’s R1 Commission Report commences in 1964 and does not complete until 1968.  It falls too far outside of the range of the 1957 to 1961 start-year documents. As mentioned, the five year range of documents falling between start-years 1957 and 1961 constitutes a highly focussed critical policy document set. A particular special contribution to Canadian public education policy development is identified to the commission produced in these key years they and are of considerable importance to an overview and analysis of Canadian public education policy. 

   In late twentieth century analysis, the 1970s documents have overshadowed the 1960s set of documents due to the appearance of the enigmatic ‘coffee table’ policy reports. The 1970 set are veritable analytical islands of mystification in 20^th century Canadian analysis. Hall-Dennis steals the spotlight. But the focus of this section and the treatment in this research gives the 1960s era documents the emphasis that is due them.

   Not only was the 1960s decade defined by an unusual number of R1 commissions, but it was also marked by an important period of rationalization between English and French Canada. One of the most influential public education policy commission reports of the 20^th century was the Parent Report (1961-66) a voluminous report. The Parent Report rationalized Quebec’s French system with English Quebec and therefore English Canada. The Parent Report was a contributing piece to Quebec’s quiet revolution and transformation. When the French baccalaureate was equalized with the bachelor degree, and when the Roman Catholic and Protestant degrees were rationalized, an inter-provincial rationalization occurred across Canada creating an exchange between Canadian French and English systems. Such an agreement between the systems went some distance to create a relationship between the Roman Catholic and Protestant systems, systems that historically were isolated and derived from very different cultural and therefore educational traditions. The Parent Report described by Parent himself as ‘radical’ created one of the most important Canadian shifts in public education policy of the century. This report created a historical relationship in public education policy in Canada, equal exchange in terms of credits between English and French colleges and universities. Canadian public education cannot only cite a mere linear recounting originating out of Ontario public education policy under Ryerson. A 20^th century focus includes the history that covers the matter of Canada’s French speaking peoples.