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Chapter 7
Policy Narrative for New Brunswick
Claude Lessard and Julie Verdy
Introduction
This chapter presents the policies for elementary and secondary education
in New Brunswick, covering the period from 1990 to 2003. The objective is to
draw out the societal stakes in education, as well as the choices made by both the
Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments of New Brunswick. It takes
into account that, culturally and structurally, New Brunswick’s education system
has two distinct sectors: one anglophone and the other francophone. Each sector is
responsible for its own curriculum and evaluations.
This chapter is divided into three sections. The fi rst examines the fi rst half
of the 1990s, looking particularly at the report issued by the Downey-Landry
Commission on Excellence in Education. The second section looks at the second
half of the decade, which began with the publication of A Renewed Education
System for New Brunswick. The fi nal section is a table presenting a synthesis of the
different governments and Ministers of Education as well as the statements, policies
and important events of the last decade. Finally a brief conclusion summarizes the
essential elements to be drawn from this research.
The Educational Orientations for the First Half of the 1990-2000 Decade
In 1991, Premier Frank McKenna created the Commission on Excellence
in Education, known as the Downey-Landry Commission after the names of its
two co-presidents. These two were given a wide-ranging mandate, touching on a
summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the education system, the role of the
Chapter 7: New Brunswick 133