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Bill C-376

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1st Session, 37th Parliament,
49-50 Elizabeth II, 2001

House of Commons of Canada

BILL C-376

An Act to establish national literacy standards across Canada

Preamble

Whereas literacy is a fundamental prerequisite for social and economic development and should be recognized as a basic human right;

Whereas thirty-eight per cent of Canadians have difficulty reading and writing;

Whereas, on a national level, illiteracy costs Canadian society ten billion dollars annually;

Whereas literacy programs in Canada generally lack the adequate funding, coordination with other programs and accessibility necessary for long-term success;

Whereas the supply of unskilled labour in Canada is increasing, yet employment opportunities for these workers are decreasing;

Whereas illiteracy serves to facilitate and perpetuate the economic stagnation of those whom it affects, which will in turn severely impede Canada's ability to maintain its position as an innovative and competitive world leader;

And Whereas the Parliament of Canada has the objective of ensuring that a mechanism is established to facilitate the cooperation of all levels of government, student bodies, educational institutions, ministries of education, business, industry, communities and the media in reducing illiteracy;

Now, Therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

SHORT TITLE

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the National Literacy Standards Act.

INTERPRETATION

Definitions

2. The definitions in this section apply in this Act.

``Canadian''
« Canadien »

``Canadian'' means a citizen or a resident of Canada.

``literacy''
« alphabétisat ion »

``literacy'' means the ability to read, write, speak, understand and calculate in a language at the level necessary to function in the community, the workplace and the home.

``Minister''
« ministre »

``Minister'' means such member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada as is designated by the Governor in Council as the Minister for the purposes of this Act.

Purpose

3. The purpose of this Act is to provide for a process that will be a catalyst for the establishment of national standards for literacy through consultation.

Provincial jurisdiction not affected

4. Nothing in this Act abrogates or derogates from the jurisdiction of a province.

Consultation and report

5. (1) The Minister shall, during the twelve-month period following the coming into force of this Act, consult with

    (a) the ministers and deputy heads of departments responsible for education and literacy in the provinces and territories,

    (b) experts in education and literacy,

    (c) representatives of business and labour,

    (d) representatives of the media, and

    (e) literacy students

to make a report on the causes of illiteracy, proposed national literacy goals, national literacy standards and a proposed policy by which the goals and standards may be achieved.

Contents of report

(2) The report shall include goals, standards and policies

    (a) for Canadians who are entering or are currently in the school or advanced education systems; and

    (b) for Canadians who are not involved in any formal education program, whether working in or out of the home, unemployed or retired.

Proposal

(3) The report shall include a proposal to make a portion of the transfer payments to provinces in respect of education conditional on the adoption, by the province receiving the payment, of a national policy to achieve literacy goals and set literacy standards.

Teacher involvement

6. The Minister shall consult with the ministers and deputy heads of departments responsible for education and literacy in the provinces and territories and with teachers to carry out a review of teacher training and responsibility to develop proposed programs and to reflect the need for an emphasis on

    (a) literacy, language and critical thinking, and

    (b) the involvement of all teachers, regardless of discipline, in monitoring students' basic reading and writing skills and, together with parents, encouraging students to value literacy,

and shall include the results of the consultation in the report referred to in section 5.

Literacy in the workplace

7. The Minister shall consult with business, management and labour to encourage literacy in the workplace, the promotion of literacy awareness, and the availability of seminars, training and resource offices in the workplace to identify illiteracy and enable those with literacy problems to seek help in confidence, and to provide literacy incentives at work, and shall include the results of the consultation in the report referred to in section 5.

Literacy in the community

8. The Minister shall consult with representatives of municipalities to encourage literacy programs in the community, the promotion of literacy awareness and the availability of seminars, training and resource offices in the community to enable those with literacy problems to seek help in confidence, and shall include the results of the consultation in the report referred to in section 5.

Media and literacy

9. The Minister shall consult with the minister responsible for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to encourage the media to take initiatives to promote literacy awareness and take a leading role in devising a national advertising campaign aimed at fighting illiteracy, and shall include the results of the consultation in the report referred to in section 5.

Report laid before Parliament

10. The Minister shall cause the report prepared pursuant to section 5 to be laid before each House of Parliament on any of the first five days on which the House sits after the expiry of twelve months after this Act comes into force.

Promotion of report

11. If the report laid before Parliament is adopted by the House of Commons, with or without amendment, the Minister may convene a conference of the ministers and deputy heads of departments responsible for literacy and education in each of the provinces and territories to plan the initiation of the policies in the report in Canada.

Register of resources

12. (1) The Minister shall establish and maintain a register of resources that are available in Canada for literacy students, literacy teachers and literacy program administrators, and shall promote the effective use of the resources throughout Canada for literacy teaching and programs in educational institutions, the home and the workplace.

Register of resources

(2) The register mentioned in subsection (1) may include as resources

    (a) references to methods of achieving and improving literacy;

    (b) analysis of literacy programs; and

    (c) the identity of individuals and organizations that provide equipment, expertise or staff for activities related to literacy in Canada.

Literacy events

13. The Minister shall encourage and promote literacy events such as writing and public speaking competitions in the same manner as athletic and scientific programs.

Agreements

14. The Minister may, with the approval of the Governor in Council, enter into agreements with the government of any province, or any agency thereof, or with any other person respecting the achievement of the objectives of this Act.

Annual report

15. After the adoption of the report referred to in section 5, the Minister shall once a year prepare and lay before the House of Commons a report on the activities undertaken pursuant to this Act, the results achieved and the Minister's recommendations for further action to achieve the purposes of this Act.

COMING INTO FORCE

Coming into force

16. This Act comes into force on a day to be fixed by order of the Governor in Council.

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