Administrative Institutions
Government departments and agencies
Health network
Education network
Public security
Government departments and agencies
The administrative machinery of the Québec government comprises
nearly 20 departments, which make up the foundation of government
organization. However, out of a concern for autonomy,
specialization, efficiency, and visibility the government has
decided to transfer or attribute certain administrative functions
to autonomous agencies rather than government departments.
Consequently, the government organization chart includes roughly
175 public agencies, i.e. corporations, councils, bureaus, boards,
commissions and administrative tribunals. Each of these agencies is
the responsibility of a minister, who is accountable for their
management before the National Assembly, subject to judicial and
quasi-judicial responsibilities. The size of the agencies varies,
from large entities such as Hydro-Québec to councils and committees
such as the Conseil consultatif du travail et de la main-d'œuvre
and the Comité de révision de l'aide juridique.
The ministère du Conseil exécutif and the Secrétariat du Conseil
du trésor form the core of the government administrative machinery.
The Conseil du trésor, a permanent Cabinet committee, advises the
government and exercises certain powers with respect to human
resource management and the allocation of budget resources.
Moreover, it formulates and implements management policies and
helps government departments and agencies engage in the process of
change.
Consult
our page of departments and agencies
Top of page
Health network
The ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux and 17
regional boards and a regional council located in 18 health and
social service regions manage the system. The system has adopted a
management model centred on regionalization and the complementarity
of establishments.
The health and social services system encompasses over 600
public and private establishments, several hundred medical clinics
and over 2000 community agencies. It employs nearly 10 % of
the Québec labour force.
Top of page
Education network
The Québec education system encompasses pre-school education,
elementary and secondary education, and college and university
education.
François Nadeau
Copyright 2004Education is compulsory for all children starting in the school
year in which they turn six until the end of the school year
in which they turn 16. Parents who wish to teach their children
themselves must have the children's education evaluated by the
school board.
Public school system
Pre-school education and elementary and secondary training are
free in 2 670 public schools. Public schools are Catholic or
Protestant and instruction is given in French or English. School
boards administer the schools. They report to the ministère de
l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport which finances them and
determines the nature of educational services.
Québec school boards
François Nadeau
Copyright 2004School boards are found in all of the provinces and in a number
of American states. Their structure and operation may vary
depending on local needs and the mandates assigned to them.
In Québec, the school boards have existed since 1845. They are
local governments administered by school board trustees elected by
universal suffrage.
Quebecers have given the school boards a decisive mandate for
the development of Québec society, i.e. to offer quality
educational services that make it possible to efficiently respond
to the training needs of young people, adults and organizations
within their territory, including businesses.
In 1996-1997, there were 156 school boards, of which 135 were
recognized as Catholic, 18 as Protestant and three as having
special status, which serve mainly Native students.
These school boards ensure the education of nearly 1.3 million
young and adult students, employ over 100 000 people full
time, administer budgets totalling over $5 billion, and manage some
2 670 schools.
As for the language of instruction, in 100 school boards,
teaching is done in French only, in seven others, in English only,
and in 49 schools boards, in French and English. The Cree, Kativik
and Eastern Québec school boards provide instruction in French,
English and aboriginal languages.
Private schools
Just under 10 % of the student population attends private
schools. There are two types of establishments, i.e. accredited
schools which are subsidized and account for nearly 85 % of
the total clientele enrolled in private schools, and accredited
establishments which are not subsidized.
In 1996-1997, 286 establishments were authorized to provide
pre-school, elementary and secondary education. Moreover, three
schools are covered by an international agreement. Most of these
establishments offer general education courses, although 12 schools
provide secondary level vocational training and 14 offer
specialized services for handicapped students or students
experiencing adjustment or learning difficulties. Among the 286
private establishments, 178 are accredited for the purpose of
receiving subsidies and 108 hold a permit without
accreditation.
Top of page
Colleges
A post-secondary educational institution
The Cegep, which has been part of the Québec educational system
since 1967, is unique in the world. After six years of elementary
school and five years of secondary school education, students enter
Cegep, a post-secondary educational institution that precedes
university. Cegeps offer pre-university training and technical
training, which prepares students for the labour market. Regardless
of which program they enrol in, students take general education
courses, some of which are common to both streams. Cegeps train
young and adult students.
In 1996-1997, college, pre-university and technical training was
provided by 47 (in French only), eleven government
schools, 70 private establishments, of which 26 were accredited for
the purpose of receiving subsidies, 44 non-accredited
establishments, and two private establishments covered by
international agreement. A 48th Cegep, the Cégep
Gérald-Godin, was established in 1995-1996 by letters patent.
There are ten pre-university programs: natural sciences;
human sciences; arts; music; plastic arts; literature; arts and
literature; science, literature and arts; speech science; and
history and civilization. Some Cegeps also offer the international
Bachelor's degree.
Some 132 technical programs are divided into five fields
biological technology; physics technology; human technology;
business administration; arts.
A living environment and a driving force for development
Cegeps are also a living environment in which sociocultural,
artistic and sports activities flourish and are a real driving
force for regional and economic development. The Cegeps have
established 20 technology transfer centres which conduct applied
research and provide technical assistance to businesses in their
respective fields. Five provincial schools, which offer programs in
a single field over which they have exclusive control, are also
attached to Cegeps.
Top of page
Universities
The Act respecting educational institutions at the university
level provides for the following establishments in Québec:
- (in French only)
- (in French only)
- (in French
only)
Top of page
The Université du Québec encompasses 12 legal
entities :
- The Université du Québec, in Sainte-Foy, which coordinates the
overall network
- Six constituent universities , in
Abitibi-Témiscamingue (in French only), in Chicoutimi
(in French only), in
Outaouais, in Montréal (in French only), which has the status
of an associate university with Rimouski (in
French only) and
Trois-Rivières.
- Two research institutes, the Institut national de la recherche
scientifique and the Institut Armand-Frappier ; and
- Three specialized schools, the École nationale d'administration
publique (in French only), the École de technologie
supérieure ,
and Télé-université (in French only)
Each university enjoys considerable autonomy, defines its own
program organization and elaborates curricula and research
programs. Moreover, the universities are entirely responsible for
establishing admission and registration requirements, granting
degrees and hiring staff.
The ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport does
not play the same role in relation to the universities, as it does
with respect to the rest of the education system. The department
proposes broad policy directions and provides financial assistance
instead of intervening directly in the processes adopted by
educational institutions.
|
To know more about...
|
|
(in French only)
|
Top of page
Public security
Security and protection of persons and property
The Québec government is responsible for ensuring within Québec
the security and protection of Quebecers and their property. Public
security encompasses an array of measures that society adopts to
protect its members from all manner of threats. The Minister of
Public Security largely assumes this responsibility along with its
partners, including municipalities.
The department focuses primarily on :
- Crime prevention and law enforcement
- Police protection
- Detention of offenders and their reintegration into
society
- Fire protection
- Civil defence
Top of page
Crime prevention and law enforcement
The ministère de la Sécurité publique encourages Quebecers to
engage in preventive behaviour in order to combat crime. It
organizes educational activities and public awareness campaigns, of
which the main one is the annual crime prevention campaign. In the
field of police services, the department promotes a community
approach centred on close, harmonious relations between police
officers and community residents.
The department ensures that all Quebecers receive police
protection through municipal police forces and the Sûreté du
Québec, advises the municipalities on the organization and
management of their police forces, and inspects such forces. If
need be, the Minister may investigate or mandate someone to
investigate a police force. In addition, the department provides
scientific expertise in different fields in conjunction with police
and legal investigations. It also protects government ministers and
ensures security services in certain government buildings.
Top of page
Police protection
The Sûreté du Québec, which employs 3,800 police officers is
responsible for maintaining peace, order and public safety within
Québec, preventing crime and infringements to Québec's laws and
seeking out the offenders. To this end, it maintains a central
intelligence service. The SQ also ensures surveillance of roughly 1
165 municipalities with populations under 3 000 that do not have
their own police forces. The Sûreté du Québec also protects foreign
dignitaries visiting Québec.
The Service de police de la Communauté urbaine de Montréal
serves 29 municipalities with a total population of 1.7 million.
Québec also has some 155 municipal police forces employing
4 800 police officers, with jurisdiction over the territories
of 196 municipalities with a total population of 3.5 million.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police maintains peace and prevents
crime and infringements of federal statutes other than the Criminal
Code in Québec, in collaboration with Québec police forces.
Top of page
Detention of offenders and their reintegration into
society
The ministère de la Sécurité publique is also responsible for
the administration of provincial detention centres, probation and
the . Moreover, as
part of the criminal justice system, the ,
in collaboration with its partners, helps bolster the protection of
society from the standpoint of social development.
|
To know more about...
|
|
(in French only)
(in French only)
|
Top of page
Every year, many people are victims of fires, which also cause
millions of dollars in property damage. To combat this problem, the
department emphasizes prevention. In collaboration with its
municipal partners, which assume the bulk of responsibility for
fire prevention and fire fighting, the department engages every
year in public awareness and educational campaigns that promote the
adoption of preventive habits and behaviour. In the realm of fire
fighting, the department advocates the training of professional
fire-fighters, the pooling of resources between municipalities and
the organization of efficient fire-protection services. However, it
is incumbent upon the municipalities to set up and maintain within
their territory a fire-protection service, if they deem it
necessary
Top of page
Civil defence
In Québec, civil defence is primarily the responsibility of the
municipalities. However, the scope of certain disasters sometimes
exceeds the municipalities' ability to intervene. This is true when
certain catastrophes threaten lives and cause extensive property
damage. In order to prevent disasters or minimize their
consequences, the ministère de la Sécurité publique, in a spirit of
collaboration, is pursuing the objective of convincing all
municipalities to plan adequate emergency measures. When a disaster
occurs, the department coordinates the initiatives of Québec
government departments and agencies, through the Organisation de la
sécurité civile du Québec (OSCQ), in order to assist municipalities
until the situation returns to normal and, eventually to provide
disaster victims with financial assistance.
Top of page
Agencies reporting to the Ministère de la Sécurité
publique
The , the (in French only),
the (in
French only), the , the and the .
Top of page
