Mr. Speaker, I have spoken on literacy before. Normally, I stress the importance of reading in everyday life for children, immigrants and others. This is a society in which one almost has to read in order to survive, let alone live a productive life.
We need to improve literacy levels in all parts of our society. However, studies show very low and often declining literacy skills in the elderly, especially those over 80 years. This is a group which is growing. These findings are a cause for concern as illiteracy affects seniors' ability to understand instructions for prescribed medications and other health care needs. It also affects their quality of life.
It is my hope that the National Literacy Secretariat, which does such fine work on these matters, develops a strategy to deal with the growing problem of seniors' literacy.