The Ministry of Colleges and Universities is the ministry of the Government of Ontario responsible for administration of laws relating to post-secondary education. This ministry is one of two education ministries, the other being the Ministry of Education (responsible for primary and secondary schools across Ontario). The Ministry's offices are in downtown Toronto. The current minister is Jill Dunlop.

History

In May 1964, the Department of University Affairs Act was passed establishing the Department of University Affairs. The department was charged with administering the government's support programs for higher education, previously the responsibility of the Department of Education. Bill Davis, the inaugural minister, was the Minister of Education at the time and continued to hold the position after the department's establishment.

In addition to jurisdiction over higher education, the department also had financial jurisdiction over the Royal Ontario Museum, the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Art Gallery of Ontario. In October 1971, the department's size was doubled by the addition of the Applied Arts and Technology Branch of the Department of Education. In light of this expansion of functions, the name of the department was changed to the Department of Colleges and Universities.

It was renamed the Ministry of Colleges and Universities in 1972 as part of a government-wide restructuring. In 1975, various cultural programs and institutions of the ministry were transferred to the newly created Ministry of Culture and Recreation.

In 1985, a separate Ministry of Skills Development was created. In 1993, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Skills Development were combined to form the Ministry of Education and Training.

In June 1999, the responsibilities for post-secondary education and skills development were again given to a standalone ministry, named the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Briefly between 2016 and 2018, it was renamed the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development.

In October 2019, training and skills development was moved to the Ministry of Labour and the ministry was renamed the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.^[3]

Governance

The Minister of Colleges and Universities is a member of the Executive Council of Ontario (or cabinet) reporting to the Premier and held accountable by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The deputy minister manages the operations of the ministry that includes five main divisions. As a whole, the ministry has responsibility for administration of laws relating to post-secondary education and skills training in Ontario. The divisions cover employment and training, post-secondary education, strategic policy and programs, corporate management and services, and French-language education and educational operations.^[4] The divisions report to the deputy minister who then reports to the minister.^[4] The ministry works with several external advisory bodies to assist in the governance of the higher education system in Ontario.^[5]

Function

In addition to being responsible for the administration of policies, laws, and funding relating to Ontario's 24 colleges and 22 universities, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities is also responsible for the registration of private career colleges as well as financial aid through the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).^[6]

Ministry Agencies

^[7]

• Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario
• Ontario Research Fund Advisory Board
• Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board
• Training Completion Assurance Fund Advisory Board

Reports

Rae Report, 2005

The Rae Report, officially titled Ontario: A Leader in Learning, called for deregulation of tuition fees, income-contingent loan repayments, and an increase in public funding.^[8]

List of ministers

	Portrait	Name	Term of office		Tenure	Political party (Ministry)	Note
	Minister of University Affairs					PC (Robarts)
		Bill Davis	May 14, 1964	March 1, 1971	6 years, 291 days	Concurrently Minister of Education
		John White	March 1, 1971	October 28, 1971	to be continued	PC (Davis)
	Minister of Colleges and Universities
		John White	October 28, 1971	February 2, 1972	338 days
		George Kerr	February 2, 1972	September 28, 1972	239 days
		Jack McNie	September 28, 1972	February 26, 1974	1 year, 151 days
		James Auld	February 26, 1974	October 7, 1975	1 year, 223 days
		Harry Parrott	October 7, 1975	August 18, 1978	2 years, 315 days
		Bette Stephenson	August 18, 1978	February 8, 1985	6 years, 174 days	Concurrently Minister of Education
		Keith Norton	February 8, 1985	May 17, 1985	98 days	PC (Miller)	Concurrently Minister of Education
		Larry Grossman	May 17, 1985	June 26, 1985	40 days	Concurrently Minister of Education and Government House Leader
		Greg Sorbara	June 26, 1985	September 29, 1987	2 years, 95 days	Liberal (Peterson)	Concurrently Minister of Skills Development
		Lyn McLeod	September 29, 1987	August 2, 1989	1 year, 307 days	Alvin Curling served as Minister of Skills Development during this time
		Sean Conway	August 2, 1989	October 1, 1990	1 year, 60 days	Concurrently Minister of Education & Minister of Skills Development
		Richard Allen	October 1, 1990	February 3, 1993	2 years, 125 days	NDP (Rae)	Concurrently Minister of Skills Development
	Minister of Education and Training
		Dave Cooke	February 3, 1993	June 26, 1995	2 years, 143 days
		John Snobelen	June 26, 1995	October 10, 1997	2 years, 106 days	PC (Harris)
		David Johnson	October 10, 1997	June 17, 1999	1 year, 250 days
	Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities
		Dianne Cunningham	June 17, 1999	April 14, 2002	4 years, 127 days		Concurrently Minister Responsible for Women's Issues (February 8, 2001 – October 22, 2003)
April 15, 2002			October 22, 2003	PC (Eves)
		Mary Anne Chambers	October 23, 2003	June 29, 2005	1 year, 249 days	Liberal (McGuinty)
		Chris Bentley	June 29, 2005	October 30, 2007	2 years, 123 days
		John Milloy	October 30, 2007	October 20, 2011	3 years, 355 days (first instance)
		Glen Murray	October 20, 2011	November 5, 2012	1 year, 16 days	Resigned to seek the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party
		John Milloy	November 5, 2012	February 11, 2013	98 days (first instance) 4 years and 88 days in total	Interim minister upon Murray's resignation
		Brad Duguid	February 11, 2013	June 24, 2014	1 year, 133 days	Liberal (Wynne)
		Reza Moridi	June 24, 2014	June 13, 2016	1 year, 355 days	Concurrently Minister of Research and Innovation
	Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development
		Deb Matthews	June 13, 2016	January 17, 2018	1 year, 218 days	While Deputy Premier, Chair of Cabinet and Minister Responsible for Digital Government
		Mitzie Hunter	January 17, 2018	June 29, 2018	163 days
	Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities					PC (Ford)
		Merrilee Fullerton	June 29, 2018	June 20, 2019	356 days
		Ross Romano	June 20, 2019	October 21, 2019	4 years, 265 days
Minister of Colleges and Universities
		Ross Romano	October 21, 2019	June 18, 2021	2 years, 354 days
		Jill Dunlop	June 18, 2021	present	2 years, 267 days