Movement for Canadian Literacy

Basic Skills and the Bottom Line:

1. Introduction

" ... it is widely acknowledged that one of the keys to both greater social justice and improved productivity and competitiveness is the development of our human resources. This involves our investment in the knowledge, creativity, skills and motivation of individuals - a critical input without which our technological and economic progress will founder." (Standing Committee on Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) Interim Report, 1994)

"... Millions of (Canadian) adults have trouble reading, writing or using numbers. These basic skills are essential for jobs today. We need to make basic skills training more accessible to those who need it.", (Agenda: Jobs and Growth, HRDC, 1994)

The following submission from the Movement for Canadian Literacy looks at the way in which Bill C-12: an Act respecting employment insurance in Canada, will support the development of Canada's human resources, and in particular how it will affect the millions of Canadians who have difficulty with the literacy demands they encounter each day at home, in their communities and in their jobs.

The Movement for Canadian Literacy speaks on behalf of twelve provincial and territorial literacy coalitions, hundreds of local literacy organizations and individual members, and more than seven million Canadian adults who need to improve their basic literacy skills in order to handle the increasingly complex literacy demands of their everyday lives.