With regards to efforts by the federal government to improve the literacy of Canadians over the last five years: (a) what investments and expenditures were made on literacy and numeracy initiatives; (b) what is the breakdown of these expenditures and investments for each federal department, and specifically for agencies such as the Literacy Secretariat (NLS) at Human Resources Development Canada and Correctional Service Canada; (c) what is the amount of funding which has been directed to each of the provinces and territories; (d) what is the amount of funding which went to each province or territory through Labour Market Training for literacy and education initiatives before the government devolved responsibilities; (e) have any efforts been made to di ...[+++]rect such programs for the benefit of the aboriginal peoples of Canada and if so: (i) in what manner; (ii) what amounts have been so dedicated; and (iii) what specific financial programs have been put in place to attain such an objective; and (f) what level of literacy and numeracy is considered necessary to function in today's economy, and similarly, what is the base level needed to obtain and maintain a job?

non-formal learning means learning which takes place through planned activities (in terms of learning objectives, learning time) where some form of learning support is present (e.g. student-teacher relationships); it may cover programmes to impart work skills, adult literacy and basic education for early school leavers; very common cases of non-formal learning include in-company training, through which companies update and improve the skills of their workers such as ICT skills, structured on-line learning (e.g. by making use of open educational resources), and courses organised by civil society organisations for their members, their ta ...[+++]rget group or the general public.

Question No. 112 Ms. Denise Savoie: With respect to government spending on adult literacy: (a) to what year(s) was the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development referring in her statement in the House on September 26, 2006, specifically “we are spending over $80 million a year on literacy programs for adults”; (b) what was the precise spending, broken down by program, in each province and territory, for literacy programs for adults in each year from 2004-2005, what is the spending for the current year, and what is the anticipated spending in each year from 2007-2008; (c) what is the government's position with respect to public ...[+++] funding of non-delivery program supports, capacity building, professional development for literacy practitioners, material and resource development and the promotion of literacy programming in communities; and (d) how does the government intend to ensure that the delivery of adult literacy programs is effective, efficient, of high quality and universally accessible to every Canadian who needs it?

Some of the best workplace literacy programs, as opposed to literacy programs that are for people who aren't yet in work or haven't got the basics, actually interconnect workplace literacy with other kinds of development, and they often aren't called literacy programs.

Q-32 Mr. Martin (Winnipeg Centre) With regards to efforts by the federal government to improve the literacy of Canadians over the last five years: (a) what investments and expenditures were made on literacy and numeracy initiatives; (b) what is the breakdown of these expenditures and investments for each federal department, and specifically for agencies such as the Literacy Secretariat (NLS) at Human Resources Development Canada and Correctional Service Canada; (c) what is the amount of funding which has been directed to each of the provinces and territories; (d) what is the amount of funding which went to each province or territory through Labour Market Training for literacy and education initiatives before the government devolved respo ...[+++]nsibilities; (e) have any efforts been made to direct such programs for the benefit of the aboriginal peoples of Canada and if so: (i) in what manner; (ii) what amounts have been so dedicated; and (iii) what specific financial programs have been put in place to attain such an objective; and (f) what level of literacy and numeracy is considered necessary to function in today's economy, and similarly, what is the base level needed to obtain and maintain a job?

Mr. Chair, as part of the Conservative government's $18 million cut to literacy, British Columbia, and in particular Literacy BC, will lose support for a number of specific activities, including training and development for literacy practitioners in the field and a project working with community literacy groups to define and measure outcomes for their work.