NLS Round Table on Literacy and the Essential Skills
By Linda Conley, CLO Board Member and Executive Director, Prince Edward Learning Centre
Minister of State, the Honourable Claudette Bradshaw invited a representative of Community Literacy of Ontario to participate in a roundtable discussion on literacy and essential skills in Ottawa on October 25, 2005. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to represent CLO at that meeting. In Budget 2005, the government committed to working with stakeholders on the development of a comprehensive pan-Canadian strategy on literacy and essential skills. As an initial step, the Government of Canada announced an additional $30 million to enhance the National Literacy Secretariat's (NLS) capacity to further develop partnerships with provinces, territories, and other stakeholders to foster awareness of and involvement in literacy issues and to promote learning in the workplace.
In order to advance the development of a comprehensive pan-Canadian literacy and essential skills strategy, the government wanted to engage with their partners to identify areas of common purpose. The round table discussion I attended was one of a series that Minister of State Bradshaw held in an effort to hear the views of their partners. The objectives of each discussion included:
- Sharing information and building a common knowledge base on literacy and other essential skills
- Opening a discussion on a potential vision and key directions of a comprehensive literacy and essential skills strategy
- Hearing views on priorities for the renewed Adult Learning, Literacy Essential Skills program, including priorities for the additional $30 million referenced in the 2005 budget
Minister of State Bradshaw opened the meeting by stating that this was an important meeting for her because of the weight she attaches to the views of groups working in the community. Minister of State Bradshaw asked people to speak frankly about what they see as the future of literacy in Canada. Some of the other points she made were:
- She noted the importance of specifying measurable results
- She expressed the critical need to solve the issue of core funding because literacy groups need proper equipment, appropriate teaching conditions, and adequate resources for learners
- She talked about the need to ensure that literacy practitioners are paid a fair wage
- She dispelled rumours about the demise of NLS, saying that the organization was secure
- She discussed the importance of building bridges between what is being done on workplace essential skills with what needs to be done for literacy
The next speaker was Donna Kirby, the Director of the NLS. She explored the links between literacy and essential skills to social and economic outcomes such as enhanced health, greater labour market participation, increased social inclusion, higher productivity and competitiveness, increased social capital and lifelong learning. Among other things, Donna Kirby stressed that there was a growing consensus in Canada about the importance of literacy and essential skills. She said that the Government of Canada intended to go beyond increased financial support by developing a comprehensive strategy to increase the literacy and essential skills of Canadians.