Upon high school graduation, the child beneficiary may use the grant money to support either full-time or part-time studies in an apprenticeship program, a CEGEP (Collège d'Enseignement Général et Professionnel (French) in Québec), at a trade school, at a college, or at a university.
[2] The Canada Education Savings Grant program was announced in the 1998 Canadian federal budget tabled on 24 February 1998 by Finance Minister Paul Martin.
The program was retroactively started on 1 January 1998 and placed under the administration of Human Resources Development Canada.
[4] In the 2004 Canadian federal budget, Ralph Goodale announced that the CESG would be enhanced for families with low-income:[5] The 20% matching rate is unchanged in other situations.
The enhancement of the CESG were later incorporated in the Canada Education Savings Act which was adopted on 7 December 2004 by a large majority of 273 votes for (from both Liberal, Conservative and Bloc MPs) versus 19 against (the entire NDP caucus).