Mr. Speaker, today is literacy action day and parliamentarians of all parties are welcoming activists and adult learners into their offices to discuss the daunting challenge we face of improving literacy in the country.
Sadly some 22% of adult Canadians have difficulty reading ordinary material and another 26% have limited reading skills. For thousands of Canadians the smallest, most ordinary activity from ordering a meal, to opening a bank account, to getting to work, to buying groceries, to following their prescription and to reading to a child can be difficult if not impossible.
As in so many things just realizing the problem is the first step toward a solution. I urge all my colleagues to take an active role in helping to promote the cause of literacy in parliament and in their own constituencies.
I encourage all Canadians to learn more about this issue and to learn more about how they can help to build a Canada where every Canadian can—