Budget 2011, introduced by Minister of Finance James M. Flaherty, allocated CAN$10M over two years to develop and implement an international education strategy, and establishes an advisory panel reporting to the Ministers of Finance and International Trade to make recommendations on the strategy and to set out the contributions of all partners.

Speaking to the House of Commons Finance Committee during pre-budget consultations last year, the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) urged the government to dramatically step up support to international education. CBIE’s brief described the multiple benefits of hosting international students and researchers, who spend CAN$6.5 billion annually in Canada.

“We are pleased that our voice has been heard,” said Dr. Vianne Timmons, Chair of the Board of CBIE and President of the University of Regina. “Over the past decade, Canada has tracked behind many other countries in bringing international students to our institutions. We’ve recently made some gains, but it’s clear that a more strategic approach and greater federal investment are needed to take us to a higher level.”

CBIE played a leadership role in the creation of the Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing (CCIEM) in June 2010 because, said a spokesperson, “it believes that a whole-of-Canada approach is required in order to brand our education system internationally”.