Prince Edward Island will be well represented this year on two national boards aimed at raising awareness of education issues facing provincial governments across Canada.

Minister Alan McIsaac will serve as co-chair of the Council of Ministers of Education as Prince Edward Island prepares to host the organization’s national conference in 2014. Deputy Minister Dr. Alexander (Sandy) MacDonald was also recently elected to the Canadian Education Association Board of Directors.

“This is a wonderful opportunity and I am honoured to be taking on this new role with the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada,” said Minister for Prince Edward Island Alan McIsaac. “The council provides an excellent forum for discussions on education policies, and I look forward to being involved in this capacity. I’m also very pleased to welcome my Education colleagues to the Island next year, as we prepare to host the national conference here in 2014. This is a very important year for Prince Edward Island, as we mark the 150th anniversary of the 1864 Charlottetown Conference.”

Minister McIsaac has been an active member of the CMEC over the past two years since becoming Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. During this time, he has led discussions and presented on many topics to the Education Ministers of Canada and the Atlantic region. Over the past 32 years, he has also held many leadership roles in the dairy industry at the provincial, regional and national levels, including chair of the Provincial Milk Marketing Board and Atlantic Canada Director on the Board of Holstein Canada. He also served on the executive of the Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture.

Deputy Minister Sandy MacDonald will serve on the Canadian Education Association (CEA) Board of Directors which establishes the organization’s strategic direction. Its membership provides for regional perspectives with directors recruited from government, school systems, academia and the private sector.

“With Sandy’s career experience touching upon so many levels of public education, he will add an informed and persuasive perspective to the Canadian Education Association for educational transformation in Canada,” says CEA Chair Roger Paul.

Dr. MacDonald has been Deputy Minister of Prince Edward Island’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development since 2010. Dr. MacDonald’s career has included a number of positions in education, including teacher, guidance counsellor, school board consultant, educational consultant and psychologist. He has also served in various leadership roles, including as Superintendent of Education with the Eastern School District. Dr. MacDonald has also represented Canada at UNESCO, the Governing Board of the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

For more information, contact the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development or visit www.gov.pe.ca/eecd.

About the Council of Ministers of Education (CMEC)

The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) is an intergovernmental body founded in 1967 by ministers of education to serve as:

• a forum to discuss policy issues;

• a mechanism through which to undertake activities, projects and initiatives in areas of mutual interest;

• a means by which to consult and cooperate with national education organizations and the federal government; and

• an instrument to represent the education interests of the provinces and territories internationally.

CMEC provides leadership in education at the pan-Canadian and international levels and contributes to the exercise of the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces and territories over education. CMEC is governed by an Agreed Memorandum approved by all members. A Chair is elected every two years based on rotation among the provinces. The current Chair is the Honourable Jeff Johnson, Minister of Education for Alberta. All 13 provinces and territories are members. To learn more about the work of CMEC, please visit www.cmec.ca.

About the Canadian Education Association (CEA)

Founded in 1891, the Canadian Education Association (CEA) is a network of passionate educators advancing ideas for greater student and teacher engagement in public education. CEA does this by conducting research and spreading useful ideas through its publications, website, workshops, symposia, blog, videos and social media channels, and by supporting education systems to be more adaptive to the rapidly changing needs of all learners in an effort to reverse the trend of students “tuning out” of their learning opportunities.

To learn more about the work of CEA, please visit www.cea-ace.ca.