Mr. Speaker, this is national literacy action day, a chance for us to reflect on what literacy means in Canada. Coming from the province of New Brunswick, a province on the vanguard of the information era and literacy in particular, I think of literacy as meaning more than just reading and writing.
In today's world, literacy is essential for surfing the web, using the bank machine or applying for a job. Reading is essential to our knowledge based economy. Now more than ever people need literacy skills if they are to be productive workers and responsible citizens. As such we must find ways to improve literacy skills for all Canadians.
My riding of Fredericton is home to Scovil House, the headquarters of National Adult Literacy Database Incorporated, or NALD. As the name suggests, NALD is a national database of literacy resources and activities.
I am pleased to salute NALD for the wonderful work it is carrying out on behalf of literacy across Fredericton, New Brunswick, and throughout Canada.