Illiteracy is a problem in Canada, regardless of the language.
We did a lot of work on that when I was on the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada. We were part of an international research group that checked the illiteracy rate in various countries every five years. The illiteracy rate in Canada has not changed in 15 years. The illiteracy rate is still very high. It's even higher in rural areas. The rate is very high in Acadia, for example.
I would say there has been a decline. When people leave school in grade 11 or 12, depending on the province, the skills are getting worse because people don't read anymore. We must find ways to recreate reading habits, which isn't easy. There are all kinds of programs to encourage people to take classes. There are a lot of community programs, but the community volunteers are exhausted.
We need to find a new approach if we want to boost literacy in Canada.