The opening panel for MLI’s Rethinking Higher Education conference set the stage for the day by examining how new approaches to education are reshaping the way Canadians think about learning, teacher training, and academic institutions.
The discussion focused on how independent and charter schools, as well as emerging educational models, can challenge entrenched systems that often resist innovation. Panellists also explored how regulatory and credentialing barriers restrict choice and slow the growth of high-quality alternatives.
The panel, moderated by Peter Copeland, Deputy Director of Domestic Policy at MLI, featured:
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Caylan Ford, founder of Alberta Classical Academy, a tuition-free charter school now serving over 1,500 students across three campuses in Calgary and Edmonton. Drawing on her background as a documentary filmmaker, foreign affairs specialist, and human rights advocate, Ford highlighted the opportunities—and obstacles—facing those who seek to establish innovative, values-driven schools in Canada.
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David Livingstone, Professor and Chair of Liberal Studies at Vancouver Island University, who brought a scholar’s perspective on liberal education, civic formation, and the need to revive higher education’s role in cultivating independent thought.
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Joanna VanHof, Director of Education at Cardus and a researcher in educational leadership and policy, who addressed questions of access, accountability, and outcomes in independent education, and how policy frameworks can better support parental choice.
