Published by Senator Catherine Callbeck on 28 January 2010
Imagine not being able to read this newspaper. Fill out a job application. Read the instructions on a prescription bottle. Share a bedtime story with your children.
This is the reality for more than 40 per cent of Canadians aged 16 to 65 who can read only what is simple and clearly laid out. According to the 2005 International Survey of Reading Skills, four in 10 Canadians struggle with the daily task of reading. All in all, approximately nine million Canadians lack the basic skills to cope with the rapidly changing demands of our new knowledge-based economy.
Family Literacy Day, held every year on Jan. 27, helps highlight the importance of literacy skills and encourages parents to make reading a family affair. Reading together is a great way for Mom or Dad to spend quality moments with their kids and, at the same time, sharpen their own reading skills.
And children will also benefit. Studies show that reading to children more than once a day has a significant positive impact on their future academic skills. Children who are exposed early to books and other reading material are better at performing mathematical tasks. Reading helps prepare children for success at school and beyond, and promotes an interest in learning that can last a lifetime.
I believe that helping every Canadian to improve their literacy skills should be a major national goal. The benefits are many: better quality of life for individuals, more involvement in communities, and increased productivity in the Canadian workplace.
Studies have shown that people with low literacy skills are apt to have lower employment rates, and their occupations likely require lower skill levels. They tend to work fewer weeks at a time, and make less during those weeks. They find themselves unemployed for longer periods, and those periods happen more often.
But the good news is that those who increase their reading proficiency also improve their chances of getting better jobs. They make more money and work more often. Improved literacy increases their ability to understand health information and follow medical instructions. It even helps build self-confidence, and encourages higher levels of involvement in community groups and in volunteer activities.
Low literacy levels affect the nation's economy as well. Lost productivity costs business about $2.5 billion every year in this country. A one per cent increase in Canada's literacy rates could boost the national income by a whopping $32 billion.
Some progress is already being made. Groups and organizations across P.E.I. and the country are providing excellent programs and services to assist their fellow Canadians.
In March when the Senate returns, I plan to introduce an inquiry on the problems of low literacy skills and explore possible solutions to combat them.
I hope my inquiry will increase awareness of the issue, encourage other Parliamentarians to speak up, and persuade the federal government to put a greater emphasis on the literacy file. Literacy needs a higher profile on the federal agenda.
Catherine Callbeck is a Liberal Senator for Prince Edward Island and a long-time advocate for literacy programs and services.