Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.
The first petition is from the people of St. John's suggesting that because literacy is so important for social and economic development, and because 38% of Canadians have difficulty in writing and reading, and because it costs Canada $10 billion a year because those people are illiterate, and because literacy is key for the competitiveness and quality of life in Canada, they would like the Conservative government to reinstate the funding that it cut to literacy programs. This petition is especially appropriate today as it is National Literacy Day.
The second petition I wish to present today is from the people of Iqaluit in Nunavut. They emphasize the fact that reading and writing is so important to people in their area for their social and economic development. There are many people who have difficulty reading and writing and it costs Canadians $10 billion. Reading and writing is key to the competitiveness and quality of life in Canada. It is absolutely essential, no excuse, that the Conservative government should reinstate the cuts it made to literacy programs. That would be very appropriate to do today on National Literacy Day.