Mr. Speaker, illiteracy is an everyday reality for many Canadians. It is estimated that one in four Canadians has little or no literacy skills.
I am pleased that Guelph-Wellington has several groups committed to ending illiteracy.
Illiteracy crosses all income brackets and costs an estimated $14 billion annually, both directly and indirectly. We know that job creation is the key to our economic renewal. However, with little or no literacy skills the task of retraining for some will be impossible.
More important, the social and economic ramifications of this silent disability are tremendous and the amount of lost potential is staggering.
I urge this government to continue to make literacy a priority. We must help illiterate Canadians acquire the skills to ensure that they will become the best that they can be. We need to make literacy a fundamental right for all Canadians.