35<'^ THE CANADIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. 



recent history is what concerns us most, and we find that when 

 confederation took place there was already in operation a law 

 which is the basis of the existing- administration, and which says 

 much for the clear-sightedness and liberal spirit of those who 

 framed it. In 1841 a Department of Education was established, 

 and by 1846 had succeeded sc far in gauging the needs of the 

 colony as to initiate and pass the legislation named. 



The school org'anization is under the control of a Council 

 O'f Public Instruction, presided over by a Superintendent of 

 Education. His duties are in part defined by law, and in all 

 matters not specifically set forth he receives instructions from 

 the Government through the Provincial Secretary, in whose de- 

 ])artment education is included. This Council is composed of all 

 the Reman Catholic Bishops or \'icars Apostolic, whose dioceses 

 or parts of whose dioceses are in the province of Quebec, now 

 numbering 15, an equal number of Roman Catholic laymen ap- 

 pointed by the Crown, and an equal number of Protestants simi- 

 larlv appointed. This Council is divided into two Committees, 

 one composed of the Roman Catholic and the other of the Pro- 

 testant members. Four As.sociate Members work wdth the 

 Roman Catholic Committee, two being priests, principals of nor- 

 mal schools, and two laymen who are officers of public instruc- 

 tion. The Protestant Committee has six Associate Members 

 elected by the Committee, and one annually elected by the 

 Protestant Teachers' Provincial Association. The Associate 

 Members of the Protestant Committee ha\e the same powers 

 as the other members, except that they are not members of the 

 Council. The whole Council does not meet except to consider 

 such educational questions as concern the interests of the schools 

 collectively, and ordinarily the Committees meet separately, and 

 have independent and final jurisdiction over their own schools. 

 How far the powers of these Committees extend may be seen 

 l)y the fact that. sul)ject to the approval, of the Lieutenant- 

 Governor in Council, each Committee makes regulations for the 

 organisation, administration and discijjline of inibbc schools, 'for 

 division of the pro\ince into inspection districts, for normal 

 schools, for boards of examiners, for examination of candidates 

 for school inspectorships, and for. school holidays. The Super- 

 intendent has a staff of 49 inspectors, and these ai^e placed under 

 two Inspectors-General, one for each class of schools. For the 

 ])ur])tises of organization, school municipalities are established, 

 and the local authority in each of these is vested in a board of 

 five commissioners elected by the ratepayers. The board is 

 responsible for the erection, ecjuipment and maintenance of 

 schools, the administration of the property, and the fixing of the 

 .school assessments and monthly dues from the parents. In the 

 cities of Montreal and Quebec the, boards are not elected but 

 are a])pointed, and in Montreal the rate of taxation has been 

 fixed by a provincial statute. Those numicipalities have a separ- 

 ate exi.stence as Roman Catholic or Protestant, and are then 

 divided into school districts. It should, however, be mentioned 



