Thank you. It's a pleasure to appear here on behalf of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges.
Our association represents Canada's 150 colleges, institutes of technology, CEGEPs, polytechnics, and some university colleges. With a thousand campuses in all regions of the country, we're urban, we're rural, we're aboriginal, we're francophone, and we're anglophone. We're based in communities, very tied to community economic and social development, so certainly in the context of the work of the committee on poverty, this is a key area of interest for the institutions. Our institutions embrace all types of learners. Indeed, low-income learners come to colleges and institutes in a greater percentage than they do other institutions in the country.
In our brief today, we just want to contextualize the way in which the demographic and economic transformation provides an opportunity toward poverty alleviation in the country. We believe that maximizing the skill levels for all Canadians is critical, and we cannot, as a nation, afford not to do such maximization of skill levels.
Notwithstanding the current downturn in the economy, there are critical issues with respect to the advanced skills that our industries need for productivity and competitiveness. We spoke to this before the downturn, and our industry partners, in a national coalition of employers on advanced skills, still speaks to that need, going forward, for their recovery.
With the decline in birth rates in the country, we really need to increase that productivity and competitiveness. We need to involve those from all groups within our Canadian society in those programs.
The knowledge infrastructure program has been a help to our institutions. We would like to acknowledge that.
There are massive wait lists for entry into colleges and institutes in Canada. Those wait lists were there and capacity was a concern before the downturn. With the number of people falling off employment and onto employment insurance rolls, those wait lists are growing. It is a significant concern for us in virtually all regions in the country, some more than others, depending upon what has been happening in the economy.
With respect to disadvantaged learners--I'm sure Paul Cappon will speak to this later--certainly there is that real relationship between poverty and levels of education. Lower-income individuals are less likely to participate in post-secondary institutions. In education, many need bridging programs in terms of literacy programs to address the low-skills gaps and to be able to bridge into the post-secondary programs. A number of other barriers to participation affect low-income learners and those within the poverty situation in the country.
The committee certainly would know, in terms of literacy statistics, that 42% of the Canadian population is below the international standard for participation in the economy and in society at large. Not paying attention to those literacy challenges is at the peril of our country, we believe.
In terms of employment insurance programs, even with some adjustments currently in the economic downturn, we're very concerned about the length of time for eligibility, not to get into EI but to be able to get into the advanced skills training programs that people need for the industry of the future. Often people are on wait lists. They become EI-eligible, are put on wait lists trying to get into the programs, and their benefits expire before they are able to complete those programs. That is a major concern going forward. Certainly we recommend a long-term expansion of the training eligibility period.
With respect to low-income learners pre-post-secondary, another area of major involvement of colleges and institutes in the country, there is a confusing complexity of fragmented programs across the federal government, provincial governments, territorial governments, municipal governments, and aboriginal governments. It's confusing and complex for our institutions and our financial aid officers. It's even more complex for the individuals affected who are trying to access ways to alleviate poverty.
There are also major inequities between the programs. For example, if you move off a social assistance program into another program area, you could lose your child benefits, health care benefits, and dental benefits. So that's a significant concern for impoverished people, particularly those adults who may be returning to post-secondary education or to the bridging programs.
We also want to flag a touch of concern, in that the Canada social transfer has the moneys for post-secondary education and social programs within the country. As people fall off the employment insurance rolls into more poverty situations, they often move to the social assistance programs. We're concerned that the increase in social assistance programs may result in a decline in funding available for post-secondary education in the country. We certainly support social assistance recipients being able to have access while they're on social assistance.
The need-based Canada study grants for post-secondary education are appreciated. We wish to flag that $250 a month for living expenses is inadequate, and we recommend an expansion of that program so that low-income participants, especially in the higher-cost areas of the country, can participate more fully.
The Indian and Northern Affairs Canada post-secondary student support program has been capped at 2% growth since 1996. According to the Assembly of First Nations, there are over 10,000 eligible first nations students who are unable to access post-secondary education in the country, and that's a significant challenge. We have people completing high school who are unable to move on to post-secondary education.
I want to draw your attention to a very complex graphic in your package. We undertook a study of the colleges and institutes programs and services for disadvantaged and low-skilled learners a year ago. The institutions and their community and business partners support learning through a whole array of programs and services. Our full report is also in our package.
One area that may be a touch unusual to bring forward when we're talking about poverty is the role of small and medium enterprises. Small and medium enterprises are the job creators in the country. One of the roles of the colleges is to work with small and medium enterprises to increase their innovative and productive capacities through things such as applied research. There's virtually no money to support the applied research of colleges and their industry lab partners, so we recommend that 5% of federal research dollars be allocated to colleges and their small and medium enterprise partners so the enterprises can create jobs and be innovative for the future.
In the last page of the report we have a number of recommendations, several of which I've already mentioned. We want to work with the provinces to ensure that the transfers for post-secondary education are allocated to post-secondary education and that the colleges and institutes receive a proportionate share. There should be a continued increase in investments in human capital and knowledge infrastructure, specifically physical infrastructure. Colleges and institutes were, for the most part, built through the federal technical and vocational act of 1960. That infrastructure is failing, and there's a dramatic need if we're going to have capacity for the current students and expanded capacity for the future. Of course we mentioned the fragmentation and the short-term funding mechanisms, particularly for people in literacy, adult basic education, and pre- and post-secondary programs.
We recommend an increase in funding for the Canada post-secondary grants. Colleges play an important role with small and medium enterprises, particularly in rural and remote and resource-based communities, but also in metropolitan areas of the country in applied research product development, the innovative capacity of those companies, and the support for learners to be able to access jobs in those areas.
We have a couple of other recommendations on the eligibility period for training under employment insurance and the possibility of a national summit. It would bring together the community partners, industry, the various governments, and the post-secondary and other sectors to really look at poverty alleviation in the country. We believe there is a huge jeopardy for the country if we don't address the poverty issue and the 42% literacy challenges going forward.
Colleges and institutes are real partners in poverty alleviation in the country. The institutions have played a critical role in poverty alleviation since their establishment, and our members look forward to continuing to work on this area with the federal government and all the communities they serve.
Thank you.