The Harper Government and Literacy in Canada
Adapted from the Movement for Canadian Literacy
- On September 25, 2006, the federal government announced a $17.7 million cut to the Adult Learning and Literacy Skills Program. This decision came at a time when the need for investment in literacy has never been greater — 4 out of 10 working-age Canadians falls below the literacy benchmark considered necessary for success in today’s knowledge economy.
- Across Canada, this funding, in partnership with the provinces and territories, supported coordination, promotion and learner recruitment, professional development, research, partnership development, and sharing of best practices. Over the past 20 years this commitment and partnership between levels of government had built an infrastructure that supports the quality and consistency of literacy programming and provides economies of scale.
- In April 2007, the Harper government opened the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES), which merged the Essential Skills Initiative and the National Office of Literacy and Learning. OLES has established new funding criteria which has decreased the accessibility of literacy funding for the majority of literacy programs in Canada. This change, combined with the severe funding cut in 2006, has set back literacy progress in Canada considerably.