NALD Honours Senator Joyce Fairbairn

Senator Joyce Fairbairn was awarded the inaugural National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) Award for Contributions to Literacy on September 8, 2000. This award ceremony was held on the occasion of International Literacy Day. The award was created to reward the efforts of individuals in promoting literacy across Canada.

Senator Fairbairn has been a Special Advisor for Literacy to the Minister of Human Resources Development since 1987. “It gives me great pleasure to receive this award from NALD”, said Fairbairn. “I want to congratulate NALD for its dynamism, its leadership and its innovative approach to literacy.”

The NALD Award for Contributions to Literacy has been instituted in recognition of the participation and leadership of individuals who have made outstanding contributions and endorsements toward the advancement and development of literacy issues in Canada, and who have supported the technology infrastructure which has helped form NALD.

The NALD Award for Contributions to Literacy is intended for those who have embraced this initiative, and have undertaken significant activities to help promote literacy and enhance literacy and lifelong learning. The award places significance on the goals, growth and overall effectiveness the recipient has had in the literacy community; how the recipient has gone above and beyond the call of duty to encourage, promote and be a spokesperson for literacy awareness; and in advocating for continued support and efforts in the various realms of literacy, thereby fulfilling the above stated literacy challenge.

Senator Fairbairn was awarded the NALD Award for Contributions to Literacy for her community involvement in literacy. She has chaired the National Literacy Campaign and initiated the first parliamentary debate at the Senate on the issue of literacy. She offers a constant support to people involved in literacy. On June 29, 1984, she was appointed to the Senate. She is the first person to have been appointed as Minister with Special Responsibility for Literacy. She has held the positions of Vice-Chair of the National and Western Liberal Caucus and Co-Chair of the Liberal Party of Canada Election Readiness Committee. In 1993, she was appointed to Cabinet, as the first woman Leader of the Government in the Senate.

continued on Page 2

The free Adobe(R) Acrobat(R) Reader allows you to view, navigate, and print PDF files across all major computing platforms. To download Acrobat(R) Reader click on the button.