Today's political, social, demographic, economic and cultural realities have forced Québec to reflect on the mission and organization of education. The Estates General on Education, a large-scale public consultation process launched in the spring of 1995, provided a diagnostic assessment of the state of education in Québec.
At the end of its proceedings, the Commission for the Estates General on Education attempted to clarify the aims of the education system and recommended that the mission of the education system be redefined in terms of three main goals: to instruct, to socialize and to provide qualifications. The Commission also identified a number of priority areas for the future of education in Québec.