Recently, Frank McKenna, Deputy Chairman of TD Bank Financial Group, in Literacy Matters stressed that the situation of low literacy in Canada is unacceptable. While he emphasizes the risk of this situation in terms of economics, he also notes:

There are even greater costs, though difficult to measure. After all, what price does Canada pay when parents cannot read bedtime stories to their children, or when citizens are unable to cast a ballot? What price does our nation pay for new Canadians who feel isolated, or students who are disengaged? (TD Bank Financial Group, 2006, p. 1)

McKenna calls for the need for literacy to be a national priority with a coordinated approach among different levels of government. ^{Footnote 5}

The Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) in its 2007 report State of Learning in Canada: No Time for Complacency indicates the importance of literacy. In Chapter Four, on adult learning, the economic and social importance of literacy for the individual is underscored, as is the need for sectors to work together to address the problem of literacy. ^{Footnote 6}

What Happens on the Ground

Recent surveys and reports, as noted above, report that a large number of Canadians could benefit from participating in literacy and essential skills upgrading. Some reports call for a greater investment in this type of upgrading. This investment has not yet happened.

Horsman and Woodrow in Focused On Practice: A Framework for Adult Literacy Research in Canada (2006) give us important descriptions of the circumstances of literacy work from practitioners on the ground. Over 500 people participated in this research study. Participants described literacy work using words such as “tentative, unsecured, work intensification, and isolation.” The report describes adult literacy as the “poorest cousin of the education system.” It also notes that the reality of the field includes “lack of recognition, minimal professional development opportunities, and insufficient funding supports.”

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