I'd have to say no. We've been concerned over the past year and a half because we saw that there was a movement within the federal government, even before this government was in power--it's part of a movement in society--to focus more on competitiveness. We feel that the most vulnerable are increasingly being left behind.
The work that literacy organizations do is often with people who don't become employable in three or six months. It takes a little longer. At the same time that they're working on their workplace skills, they're also learning things about parenting, getting more self-confidence, and all that.
So we've been concerned about a movement that increasingly looks as if it's going to leave people behind. We have spoken up about this from time to time, but we were always told that literacy is firmly on the government's agenda.
We were hoping to hear an announcement that the government would move on the recommendation made previously by this committee to work with the provinces and territories to develop a plan. So we were totally shocked by these cuts. I don't even know if the provinces and territories were consulted. They depend on this funding.