January 31, 2017 Organization

Montréal – The Autorité des marchés financiers (the “AMF”) expanded its financial education initiatives and partnerships in 2016, focusing particularly on young Québec consumers.

“In line with the objectives of the Québec Financial Education Strategy (pdf - 891 KB)This link will open in a new windowUpdated on August 17, 2016, in the past year we promoted the financial education of youth and the strength of our partnerships with other key players of the Québec economy,” said AMF President and CEO Louis Morisset. “By offering a variety of tools to young people and teachers, the AMF is fulfilling its educational mission and helping to shape the future economic landscape of Québec.”

All in all, members of the Direction de l’éducation financière (AMF Financial Education) visited 32 colleges in Québec as part of the Let’s talk about money! tour. They gave presentations on such basics as managing credit, budgeting, saving and avoiding financial fraud. The 2015-2016 tour attracted nearly 3,000 students, helping raise their awareness of the importance of starting to manage their personal finances today. This initiative, which was funded almost entirely by the AMF’s Education and Good Governance Fund (EGGF), is directly related to the objectives of the Québec Financial Education Strategy.

The AMF also promoted financial education by organizing or supporting various contests. Young people were invited to share their tips for saving money in return for a chance at winning a prize. As part of the Talking money in class! contest, teachers integrated financial education activities in their classrooms by using various tools developed by the Réseau québécois de l’éducation financière. Lastly, the Bourstad market simulation This link will open in a new window exercise (in French only) once again awarded scholarships to the students and members of the general public who best managed their virtual portfolios. The 30^th edition of Bourstad was launched on January 11, 2017 and features a new Web platform.

Moreover, in partnership with the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en analyse des organisations (CIRANO), the EGGF contributed to the development of several financial education activities offered to students in Secondary V and CEGEP as well as to the general public. In connection with another partnership, this time with Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie, the EGGF created Tagville, a free app for kids ages 9 to 14 that helps them learn financial basics while having fun.

Lastly, following the addition of a mandatory financial education course in the Secondary V program, the AMF partnered with the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail and the Office de la protection du consommateur to develop various teaching activities This link will open in a new window. The proposed material, including teacher’s guides and student worksheets, is intended to build on the program’s primary competency: Takes a position on a financial issue. The activities relate to topics such as budgets, credit cards, saving, investing and borrowing.

The Autorité des marchés financiers (the “AMF”) is the regulatory and oversight body for Québec’s financial sector.

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