My experience is with post secondary education in the US. I know that professional organizations with a stake in e-learning, either for university curriculum or professional development, have a major impact on what and how e-learning is designed and evaluated.
I think the following Canadian Organizations are comparable to the US organizations that have had an impact on how we perceive and research e-learning: The Association of the Faculties of Medicine in Canada, CFBSD (Deans of Canadian Business Schools), CMA (Canadian Marketing Association), and CICA (Organization for Canadian Chartered Accountants). Obviously, I have worked in the schools of business so these are organizations that have an impact on what we can do with curriculum, affect accreditation, and impact student choices and program reputation. I would assume that there are comparable organizations in other disciplines.