“A Natural Outcome of Free Schools”: The Free Text-Book Branch in British Columbia 1908–1949

Abstract

Impetus for the 1908 establishment of the Free Text-Book Branch in British Columbia arose from three sources: a new emphasis on social reform in the nation as a whole; the vibrant state of the province’s economy; and political pressure instigated by parents, their School Trustee representatives, and organized labour, supported by the Vancouver School Board and City Council. It represented a concerted effort to provide equality of educational opportunity to all students enrolled in the public school system. In spite of the diverse array of challenges encountered, it was a change whose time had come.