An overview is provided of the community college sector of Canadian post-secondary education. The first section points out the characteristics shared by the wide range of institutions termed "community colleges," indicating that: (1) they are public institutions with low or no tuition for conventional full-time students; (2) they are products of provincial legislation and function as components of provincial post-secondary systems; (3) they offer diplomas, certificates, and other credentials, but are not degree-granting institutions; (4) they are known for their diversity of programming; (5) a growing proportion of community college activity involves skill upgrading and retraining of current members of the workforce; (6) admissions requirements differ by program; (7) students tend to be older than university undergraduates; and (8) the colleges are actively involved in the transfer of technology to the workforce. The next section offers brief descriptions of the community college systems operating in each province, noting that in all there are 200 community colleges or allied postsecondary institutions in Canada. The scale of the community college sector is assessed next in terms of enrollments (i.e., approximately 500,000 full-time and over 1,500,000 part-time students); and numbers of faculty, administrative and support personnel, and citizens serving on college boards and advisory committees. The next sections examine college governance structures, relations with the provincial and state governments, and unionization and labor relations within the colleges. Information on funding is provided next, indicating that the community colleges accounted for 9% of the total educational expenditures in Canada in 1984-85, with the three layers of government contributing 84% of direct college funding. The final sections identify some of the national and provincial organizations for community colleges, and offer conclusions. (EJV)