Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on Motion M-93 moved by my colleague from the NDP, the hon. member for Dartmouth.
The motion reads as follows:
That, in the opinion of this House, the government should consider the advisability of increasing literacy in Canada by removing the goods and services tax on all reading materials.
When Bill C-70 on harmonizing the GST was debated in the last Parliament, the Bloc Quebecois made the same request: that the GST on books be completely abolished. The Bloc Quebecois is therefore pleased to support this motion today.
Let us start with a little semantics, to be clear on the scope of this motion.
In French, literacy translates as knowing how to read and write, or the ability to understand and decode information to give it meaning. Illiterate persons are those who do not know this code. Without this code, they do not have the capacity to read or write, let alone the knowledge to do so. Functional illiterates know the code but experience various degrees of difficulty in understanding, using or interpreting it to give it meaning.
That having been said, it is inappropriate to translate literacy by “alphabétisme”. But semantics is not the topic of my remarks today, so I will stick to the text of the motion as it stands. Let us move to the topic of the motion asking that the government remove the GST on all reading materials.
The federal government has been repeating ad nauseam that Canada is the best country in the world. According to the government, illiteracy is not a problem in Canada. Just look at the mind-boggling statistic quoted in the 1997 edition of L'État du monde : the literacy rate in Canada is estimated at 104%. Let us take a closer look at this statistic which seems mind-boggling at first glance.
We will refer to Reading the Future: a Portrait of Literacy in Canada , a document published jointly by Statistics Canada, the Department of Human Resources Development and the National Literacy Secretariat in 1996. This document is based on the International Adult Literacy Survey.
In a chart illustrating the various levels of reading ability among adults aged 16 to 65, Canada's rate is 101% for the category “comprehension of narrative texts”. Does this means that every Canadian knows how to read and write? Of course not.
Indeed, out of this 101%, 17% of the population only reach the first level of reading. At this level, a person can read the directives on a bottle of aspirin. Twenty-six per cent are at the second level. At this level, a person can read, in an article, a short sequence of information on the characteristics of a garden plant. Thirty-five per cent are at the third level of reading. At this level, a person can read movie reviews and select the least favourable one.
Finally, 23% of the population reach levels 4 and 5. At these levels, people can read information on leaflets and integrate them in an interview, or they can use an advertisement from the Department of Human Resources Development to answer questions that use different words from the ones in the add.
The percentages are similar for the other two categories that were part of the test to evaluate reading ability, namely comprehension of schematic texts and comprehension of texts with a quantitative content.
The International Adult Literacy Survey defines literacy as the ability to use printed matter and written information to function in society, reach one's objectives, improve one's knowledge and increase one's potential. The survey shows that an impressive number of Canadian adults have a very low level of reading ability, which prevents them from fully participating in Canada's economic and social life.
The survey also shows that the availability of reading material is the primary factor in maintaining people's ability to read and understand. A country whose people read less than those of another country will be less productive and less competitive. This brings us to the purpose of the motion, which is to remove the GST on all reading materials.
According to the International Association of Publishers, Canada is the G-7 country that imposes the highest taxes on reading material. In Canada, the tax is imposed only by the federal government. The United States, Japan, England, Australia and Ireland are among the countries that realized the importance of not taxing books.
This tax has had a very negative impact. Sales of new books dropped by 10%, those of used books by 15% to 20%, and those of magazines by 15%. Newspapers' sales dropped by 5%, the first drop in 20 years in that sector. These combined drops have hurt publishers and writers, as their income also dropped.
The fact that the GST on reading material would have such an impact was anticipated. Anyone in the country who wants to buy reading material must pay a tax. Students who want to buy books must pay taxes. Functionally illiterate people who want to learn to read must pay a tax. Parents who want to buy books for their children must pay a tax. People who want to improve their knowledge and learn new things must pay taxes.
I have something to tell members opposite. I am thinking of a word which I cannot use in this House, because they would jump up from their seats. Still, I have that word in mind to describe their attitude and their behaviour regarding the GST on books. Let me explain.
At their 1992 convention, the Liberals adopted a resolution whereby they pledged to abolish the GST on books and reading material. In 1993, in a letter to the Don't Tax Reading Coalition, the Prime Minister promised to implement his party's resolution.
I would like to remind the House of what some of our friends across the way said when they were in opposition and the Conservative government wanted to pass the GST bill.
In November 1990, the Deputy Prime Minister claimed that charging the GST on books was akin to promoting ignorance. In 1991, the Minister of Canadian Heritage said that it was harmful to Canadian unity and identity. In 1990, the Minister of Industry gave a 20-minute speech explaining in great detail why he was opposed to the GST.
In December 1990, the member for Ottawa Centre tabled a pile of petitions against the GST. The parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Transport tabled four petitions against the GST. The government leader tabled a petition against taxing books and cared about the functionally illiterate.
The Minister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for Francophonie tabled a petition against taxing books and magazines. The member for Carleton—Gloucester also tabled a petition, saying it was outrageous to tax newspapers and any reading material, whether it is intended for educated people or, worse yet, for those learning to read.
The government does offer tax reductions on books purchased by some libraries, educational institutions and organizations promoting literacy. But that is not enough. The government is still pocketing $120 million in taxes on reading material.
The Minister of Human Resources Development wants to increase training and development programs. He should know that, according to international studies, a substantial number of applicants can be turned down because of the fact that their limited reading skills in turn limit their capacity to enrol in adult and continuing education.
To conclude, I urge the government and the members across the way to stop behaving like tartuffes and to practice what they have always preached, by abolishing the GST. If they were brave, all members, including Reformers, would give unanimous consent to make this motion a votable item, so that we can put an end to taxing ignorance.