Canadian Council on Learning | Conseil Canadien sur l'Apprentissage

Launch of the Canadian Council on Learning’s Early Childhood Learning Knowledge Centre

Robert Giroux, Chair of the Board of Directors, CCL

October 21, 2005

On behalf of the Canadian Council on Learning's board of directors and staff, I am delighted to welcome you here. I’d like to take a moment to introduce the board members who are with us today – Gérard Veilleux, President, Power Communications Inc., Aldéa Landry, President, Landal Inc.,Marie Battiste, Professor/Director, Aboriginal Education, Research Centre, College of Education, University of Saskatchewan, Angela Schira, Secretary/Treasurer, BC Federation of Labour, Ray Ivany, President, Nova Scotia Community College, Veronica Lacey, Vice Chair of the Board, President and CEO, The Learning Partnership, John Daniel, President and CEO, Commonwealth Learning, and Paul Cappon, President and CEO, Canadian Council on Learning.

The Canadian Council on Learning was created as a result of a nation-wide consultation on innovation. Time and time again, in response to the question, "What does Canada need to succeed in the knowledge economy?" Canadians answered "highly-skilled, well-educated people.

CCL’s mandate is to assess the current state of knowledge about learning – from early childhood through to the workplace and beyond – and provide Canadians with the information they need to identify and enjoy learning opportunities throughout their lives.

In recognition of the learning expertise already available across Canada, collaboration will be the hallmark of the Canadian Council on Learning. We will work with Canadians, provinces, sector councils, labour organizations and learning institutions to promote effective approaches to lifelong learning across Canada.

Today we are celebrating the creation of the fourth of our five knowledge centres. Each of these centres brings the collaborative model to life. I am delighted that the board members have this opportunity to meet with so many representatives of the consortium that Richard Tremblay has developed to lead the work of the Early Childhood Knowledge Centre. Your commitment to our children’s future will help make this Knowledge Centre a success.

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