I would beg to differ with the interpretation, for starters. Literacy is very important. If we're to have a skilled workforce, then we absolutely must make sure that workforce is competent in their literacy and their numeracy skills.
One of the problems we've encountered, and it goes right across a range of ministries, is that over time many of the programs in existence had been allowed to just continue. Canadians elected us because they wanted us to make sure their tax dollars were being spent wisely, and we committed to doing that. We're reviewing all the programs government-wide to make sure they are effective.
One of the areas where we found there were opportunities for improvement was in the delivery of our literacy programs. As we were looking for ways to save Canadians dollars on their tax bill, we said we have to spend responsibly. We want to focus on programs that are going to deliver real results for Canadians in literacy. We want to make sure there are programs that are going to help people learn to read and write, particularly for the workforce.
We are going to be spending over $80 million in this area. That's just in Human Resources and Social Development. There is also a lot of money being spent by other departments, including Citizenship and Immigration.
We are going to be honouring all commitments that have been made to existing programs. We're going forward. We're going to be focusing on projects and evaluating them on the basis of merit, as to whether they're delivering—