Financial Education Advocacy Campaigns Across Canada
Initiative to Make Financial Education a Core Subject | #MakeFinEdCore
Raising Financial Education to Core Subject Status – Same Priority, Standards, and Rigor as Foundational Subjects
The National Financial Educators Council collaborates with educators, community organizations, and policymakers throughout Canada and around the world to advance stronger financial education systems and broaden access to meaningful financial learning. At the center of these efforts is a commitment to positioning financial education as a recognized core subject while supporting higher instructional standards, stronger educator preparation, and wider access to quality financial education programs.
For decades, financial education has not received the same academic attention or institutional support as other foundational disciplines. Across many education systems in Canada and internationally, personal finance instruction is still inconsistent, with limited curriculum structure, insufficient educator training, and few accountability measures to ensure program quality or student outcomes. At the same time, young people are expected to navigate increasingly complex financial decisions involving post-secondary education, employment, debt, credit, and long-term financial planning – choices that can significantly influence their future opportunities and financial security.
Our perspective is clear: financial education deserves the same level of priority and academic integrity as other essential subjects taught in schools. Every student in Canada should have access to comprehensive, standards-based financial education that prepares them to make confident, informed financial decisions throughout their lives and supports their long-term personal and economic well-being.
Our Position
Financial education is essential. It is as important as any core subject and should be held to the same academic standards. Every student in Canada should leave school equipped to make informed, real world financial decisions that influence both their immediate circumstances and their long term future.
#MakeFinEdCore Campaign Objectives
Increasing Access to Financial Education
While Canadians’ interest in financial education is growing, many individuals still do not have access to reliable, first-rate learning opportunities.
The NFEC is working to increase that access – by supporting community groups, schools and educators, employers, and policymakers in facilitating financial education programs that reach groups with diverse characteristics. These efforts prioritize expanding availability in schools, workplaces, and communities – particularly for youth and underserved populations.
By granting people access to financial education that really works, the goal is to help more Canadians develop the understanding, confidence, and skills needed to improve their long-term financial wellness.
Raising Financial Education Standards
Achieving better outcomes requires more than delivering short-term instruction or isolated lessons. The best financial education is presented through well-planned curriculum, trained teachers, and evidence-based materials. Its outcomes should be clearly-defined and measurable.
The NFEC advocates for strengthened educational and professional guidelines that bring financial education up to the level of other academic subjects. This effort includes advocating for educator training and certification, curriculum design based on competencies, learning experiences that encourage top performance, and program evaluation systems that measure participants’ behavior change in the real world.