Ah, just a different system in a different province. Here, kids can get their learner's at 15 if they go through a driver education program at high school and can get their driver's at 16.
I got my learner's at 14 (my poor parents!) because I had skipped a year of school, but had to take the driver's ed program with everyone else in my class, and got my driver's a week after I was 16.
Then, there was no graduated program, but I'm glad there was by the time our son went through it. It limits the number of passengers, etc. with the novice program.