Literacy Matter

The aim of this report is to draw attention to challenges at hand and encourage conversation with policymakers and stakeholders. Newcomers are a primary source of additional workers to the labour market, and their importance is steadily rising due to the slowing trend in domestic population growth.

Of all the issues that Canadians are concerned about – the environment, health care and the war against terrorism – literacy is never identified as a pressing problem. However, many Canadians lack the necessary literacy skills to succeed in today’s economy: a situation that is eroding their standard of living.