Small programs don't work, sir. This isn't the time for small programs. This is the time for massive skill development action.
The federal government has identified nine major competencies, called essential competencies. One of those competencies is the one you mentioned, information technologies.
This is no longer the time for small programs. It is now time to develop an approach that makes sense for these adults. I repeat: all languages included, we're talking about 42% of the population. A study is currently being conducted as part of the International Study of Adults, jointly with the other 25 countries, and we will know the results in 2013. We expect to see the same type of results.
What is the federal government's role in this area? What is the federal government's role in development of the francophone communities and of competencies in adult francophones? These adults will not disappear tomorrow morning. They represent 66% in New Brunswick, 55% in Manitoba, 55% in Ontario, and 55% in Quebec: 800,000 level 1 adults. What are we talking about? It's no longer the time for small programs. This is the time for major investments in a Canada-wide strategy. The federal government cannot decide to do this or that in Ontario, for example. That's not how it works, and we are aware of that.
The Roadmap must serve as a political, not just an economic lever. We must adopt a comprehensive approach that stays the course for these adults. If three or four around the table had this problem, we would implement small programs. Currently, there are 10 million of them and they represent 42% of Canadian adults. We've been talking about francophones for a while now, but it is interesting to see that literacy problems aren't limited to one single language. Adult anglophones encounter this problem as well. It's a problem for them too.
The government can't limit itself to one single action. The federal government reminds of guys: a guy is incapable of doing two things at the same time. That's not true: the government can do more than one thing at a time. My girlfriend always tells me that, since I'm a guy, I can't do more than one thing at a time. The federal government makes me think of that. It's just investing in employment. It doesn't work like that; that's ridiculous.