The changes in the mathematics curriculum in Canada over the second half of the twentieth century paralleled curriculum movements worldwide. Canadian provinces experienced the euphoria of the new Math movement, and the subsequent sobering reaction from those proposing to return to a stronger emphasis on the basics. They also responded to the calls for change contained in the NCTM Agenda for Action and made problem solving central to the mathematics curriculum of the 1980s. Finally, the influence of the NCTM Standards in the curriculum of the 1990s has been evident in the events described in this chapter. At the same time, however, the Canadian swings in curriculum were muted compared to comparable movements in the United States. Because curriculum decision−making is centralized within provinces, and subject to considerable deliberation before implementation, it takes longer to effect curriculum change in Canada than in more decentralized jurisdictions. In a sense, this is a phase delay in the reform cycle that gives Canadians more opportunity to weigh the benefits and disadvantages of trying to institute particular reforms. Change, when it is proposed, is in a less intense form than it otherwise might be, and may be more palatable to teachers whose task it is to implement the changes.
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