6. The National Scene

Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD) has a new Minister, Lucienne Robillard. Joe Volpe has left HRSD to become the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Mme. Robillard is a nine-year veteran of the federal Cabinet and will retain her current position as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, in addition to the HRSD portfolio. She has a Masters of Social Work and has worked in health and social services. For more information on Lucienne Robillard. For an analysis of the impact of Mme. Robillard’s appointment on the literacy field, as well as other literacy-related developments at the national level, read MCL’s January 2005 Federal Literacy Facts.

The Movement for Canadian Literacy was invited to make a presentation to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance in November 2004. MCL Executive Director Wendy DesBrisay outlined the importance of establishing a pan-Canadian literacy strategy. Read MCL’s written brief and add your voice in support of the strategy by signing MCL’s literacy action petition .

In May, 2005 new findings from the International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS) survey will be released. Internationally, the survey will be called the Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL), but according to Jean Pignal, Chief of the Literacy Section at the Special Surveys Division of Statistics Canada, Canada wanted to keep the recognition that comes with the IALS abbreviation. IALSS builds on the earlier International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), which has described literacy rates in Canada since 1994.

As its predecessor did, IALSS will compare findings between countries. It will directly measure prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy and problem solving. IALSS will also indirectly try to measure teamwork skills, including interpersonal communication skills, and information communication technology skills. In an interview for the fall 2003 issue of Literacies, Mr. Pignal stated that “while literacy and numeracy are basic skills that have impacts on individual well-being and socio-economic success, other skills must also be considered if we are to better understand the impact of skills on our labour marker and social fabric.” See more information.