Why Canada needs a global education strategy
| Date | 01 March 2018 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702018768481 |
| Published date | 01 March 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Policy Brief |
Policy Brief
Why Canada needs a
global education strategy
Roland Paris
University of Ottawa – Graduate School of Public & Int’l Affairs
Margaret Biggs
Queen’s University – School of Policy Studies
Abstract
Based on the report of the Study Group on Global Education, this article explains why
Canada needs a national strategy aimed at significantly increasing the number of
Canadian post-secondary students going abroad for study and work-integrated learning
experiences. International education may once have been viewed as an optional luxury.
Now it must be seen as a vital tool to equip young Canadians – and Canada – to succeed
in a more complex and competitive world.
Keywords
International education, student mobility, study abroad, Canadian foreign policy,
inclusion, skills training, competitiveness, diversity, Canadian universities and colleges,
post-secondary education
Canada’s biggest customer, the United States, is veering towards protectionism.
Rising powers are transforming the global economy. Intolerance is on the rise, includ-
ing in Canada. Technology is revolutionizing the nature of work. We must prepare
young Canadians to meet these challenges. We will need them to build Canada’s
global connections, expand and diversify our trade relationships, uphold Canadian
values of openness and tolerance, and succeed in a rapidly changing economy.
International education is part of the answer. Learning abroad – in classrooms
or in work traineeships – builds knowledge that will help the next generation of
leaders extend Canada’s global reach. It strengthens research and innovation net-
works, and fosters skills that Canadian companies say they want in employees. It
International Journal
2018, Vol. 73(1) 146–157
!The Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/0020702018768481
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Corresponding author:
Roland Paris, University of Ottawa- Graduate School of Public & Int’l Affairs, Room 6053 120 University-
GSPIA, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.
Email: rparis@uottawa.ca
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