In an effort to ensure that Manitoba’s community colleges were more receptive to students, the private sector, and the communities they serve, Bill 49 - The Colleges and Consequential Amendments Act (known as The Colleges Act) was passed by the Manitoba Legislature on July 26, 1991.The Act empowered the government to establish a board of governors effective April 1, 1993 for each of the three Manitoba community colleges (Assiniboine Community College, Keewatin Community College and Red River Community College – now Red River College).

The college boards are corporations and are the governing bodies of each college, with representatives from a wide range of educational and community interests. These boards play a vital role in assisting the province to meet the diverse educational and training needs at the post-secondary level.

As stated in The Colleges Act, the colleges’ mandate is to enhance the economic and social well-being of Manitoba through the provision of a broad range of educational opportunities. 

• The Colleges Act
• The Minister of Advanced Training and Literacy
• The Council on Post-Secondary Education (COPSE)

The Colleges Act

The Colleges Act is the statute which regulates how colleges in Manitoba and their boards operate.

The Minister of Advanced Education and Literacy

The Minister of Advanced Education and Literacy is responsible for post-secondary education in Manitoba. The Minister is a member of the Executive Council of the Manitoba Legislature and is charged with the administration of The Colleges Act. The general powers of the Minister that are exercised with discretion are to: 

• Determine the region of the province in which a college will deliver programs and services;
• Determine individual college and province-wide mandates for selected or specialized areas of program development or delivery for the efficient and effective management of public resources;
• Designate where campuses, including regional campuses, of a college will be located and the range of college programs and services to be offered at a campus of the college;
• Establish guidelines for post-secondary education and training, including program evaluation guidelines;
• Appoint a person or a committee to review and evaluate any college program or service or any other matter related to the development, content or delivery of a college program or service;
• Appoint a person or a committee to review and report on the mandate of a college or any other matter bearing on a college or the Act;
• Appoint a person to examine and inspect the financial condition, administrative condition or any other matter related to the management and operation of a college or colleges; and
• Recommend the appointment of an administrator of a college under section 45 of The Colleges Act.

(Reference - Section 4(1) The Colleges Act)
 

The Council on Post-Secondary Education (COPSE)

The Council on Post-Secondary Education (COPSE) is the provincial agency that works to promote excellence within Manitoba’s post-secondary education sector. The Council was created by The Council on Post-Secondary Education Act in 1998 and facilitates the coordination and integration of post-secondary services and facilities, reviews and approves university and college programming, develops policy, and promotes fiscal responsibility and accountability in the post-secondary system.

A major responsibility of the Council is the allocation of funds to the province’s eight public post-secondary institutions - Red River College, Assiniboine Community College, University College of the North, the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, Brandon University, Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface and École technique et professionnelle. The Council also distributes grants to private religious-affiliated colleges in Manitoba, including Steinbach Bible College, Providence College and Seminary, William and Catherine Booth College, and the Canadian Mennonite University.

The Council acts as an intermediary between the post-secondary institutions and the government, and is composed of eleven members including a chairperson. Reporting to the Council is a secretariat of nine provincial civil servants. The purpose of the Secretariat is to provide research and analysis on a broad array of post-secondary education issues, and to support effective decision making and policy direction by the Council.