VANCOUVER – The first-ever Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum is underway for the next two days at sites across the country, including Vancouver, Education Minister Shirley Bond and Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell announced today.
“Approximately nine million Canadians struggle with low literacy levels, including more than one million right here in British Columbia,” said Bond. “We are making gains, but need to do more, and work with all our partners, which is why B.C. is proud to serve the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada as the lead province for literacy and for this pan-Canadian conversation.”
This first-of-its-kind forum is using leading-edge, B.C.-proven webcasting technology, including real-time streaming video, to connect 3,500 learners, literacy experts and representatives from the education, non-profit, business and labour sectors. The technology will also be used to leave a legacy of resources online, benefiting educators, learners, literacy providers, and all Canadians for years to come.
“As we continue to invest in improving literacy levels, more people are able to fulfil their potential, families become stronger, and communities prosper,” said Coell. “This forum offers communities across Canada an unprecedented chance to work together to find new ways to open doors for those who need help in overcoming literacy barriers.”
Each site has its own theme, and these, taken together, tell a pan-Canadian story, speaking to the overall theme of the forum, which is “Literacy: more than words.” The individual site themes cover everything from Aboriginal to workplace literacy:
- Arviat, Nunavut – Literacy: The Path to Success
- Edmonton, Alberta – Literacy: Never Too Early, Never Too Late
- Montreal, Quebec – Vision, Innovation, Participation
- Regina, Saskatchewan – Aboriginal Literacy: Stories of Success
- Saint John, New Brunswick – Literacy: Passport to Prosperity
- Toronto, Ontario – Literacy for Life
- Vancouver, British Columbia – Communities Working Together for Literacy
- Whitehorse, Yukon – Building Literacy Communities through Technologies
- Winnipeg, Manitoba – Literacy Works! Building a Skilled and Resilient Workforce
The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) is an intergovernmental body composed of the ministers responsible for elementary-secondary and post-secondary education from the provinces and territories and is a venue to share information, resources and strategies on common education-related issues.
This forum is the first step in implementing CMEC’s new literacy action plan, which aims to raise awareness and increase literacy rates from coast to coast to coast. The action plan includes sharing literacy policies among the provincial and territorial governments, creating networks of organizations and individuals to gather and share teaching resources for learners of all ages, and encouraging additional literacy research, statistic sharing, and the effective use of data.
Any national and regional co-operative efforts resulting from CMEC’s forum and literacy action plan will complement work already underway in individual provinces and territories. British Columbia’s number one goal is to be the best-educated, most literature jurisdiction on the continent. To reach this goal, the Province has introduced ReadNow BC, a comprehensive literacy action plan to co-ordinate community literacy planning and increase literacy levels for early learners, school-age children, adults and Aboriginal people. Since 2001, the Province has invested more than $136 million in new literacy programs and services.
For more information, visit www.Literacy.cmec.ca.
The following keynote speakers will address the full pan-Canadian audience through interactive, webcasting technology, including real-time streaming video:
Susan Aglukark
Juno-award-winning singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark blends the Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her people, the Inuit of Arctic Canada. She received the Officer of the Order of Canada award for her contribution both musically and as a workshop facilitator and mentor in the Aboriginal community.
David Asper
David Asper is a philanthropist, lawyer, chair of the National Post newspaper, and executive vice-president of CanWest Global Communications Corp. He oversees CanWest’s corporate communications, including its philanthropy programs.
Linwood Barclay
A political satirist, Linwood Barclay draws on his extensive journalism experience to convey his uniquely witty and insightful take on the world. He writes a popular column in the Toronto Star and is an acclaimed memoirist and novelist.
Dr. Paul Bélanger
Dr. Paul Bélanger is a professor in the Education Faculty at the Université du Québec à Montréal. He is director of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Lifelong Learning, president of the International Council for Adult Education, and life member of the National Institute for Adult and Continuing Education (NIACE) in Great Britain.
Adrienne Clarkson
The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, the 26th Governor General of Canada, has been an award-winning journalist, publisher, and public servant. She holds more than 20 honorary degrees, wrote a bestselling autobiography, and is an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Charles Coffey
Charles Coffey is the former executive vice-president, government affairs and business development for RBC Financial Group who also headed business banking in Canada and led three regional headquarters. An Officer of the Order of Canada, he makes community leadership a priority, especially when that work helps young people, entrepreneurs and Aboriginal peoples.
Frank McKenna
Frank McKenna, former Premier of New Brunswick, is the deputy chair of TD Bank Financial Group (TDBFG). He is responsible for supporting the bank in its customer acquisition strategy, and is representing TDBFG as it works to expand its North American presence.
Dr. J. Fraser Mustard
Dr. J. Fraser Mustard has had a diverse career in the health sciences, medical research, and the private sector. He has been a leader in Canada on the socioeconomic determinants of human development and health and puts a particular emphasis on early child development and the role of communities.
