The Modernization of Prince Edward Island under the Government of W.R. Shaw: The Case of Educational Reform

Abstract

Walter Shaw came to power in 1959 on a program to modernize Prince Edward Island, especially its education system. His program of educational reform and economic development targeted rural areas, as a way to change the Island in order to preserve its way of life. Reluctant to use the coercive power of the provincial state, Premier Shaw relied on encouragement and incentives that led to rapid expansion of the regional high school system and vocational education. Shaw’s approach was less successful at the elementary level, where voluntary consolidation showed little progress. This thesis argues that civil society provided the impetus for change at the secondary and post-secondary levels, as various organizations pushed the government to provide equal access and improve conditions at both levels. The Shaw era of 1959-1966 served as a crucial transition period from the reactionary administrations of the 1950s to the more active government of Alex Campbell.