Mr. Speaker, we live in the most connected country in the world on the threshold of the 21st century. Yet, 22% of Canadians have difficulty reading commonly available material and another 26% have limited reading skills.
Whether we realize it or not, each of us knows at least one adult who cannot read. This is not a matter of immigrants having problems with their second or third language; this is a problem that affects all corners of Canadian society.
While we must keep up with the high tech aspects of the global village in which we live, we must also support focusing energy and resources to improve literacy levels across the country.
I urge all members to support the National Literacy Secretariat. The secretariat and its partners deserve our support.