Jim Silver’s Submission on Bill 55

Bill 55, The Reducing Red Tape and Improving Services Act, includes a commitment to eliminating the Adult Literacy Act. I am speaking against the elimination of the Adult Literacy Act. I believe that the government ought to be increasing its commitment to adult literacy, not eliminating the Act.
Very large numbers of Manitobans are functionally illiterate — they are functioning at literacy stages 1 or 2, when stage 3 is necessary to be able to participate fully in society. Those who are functionally illiterate are at much higher than average risk of living in poverty. High levels of poverty are a key contributor — perhaps the key contributor — to relatively poor educational outcomes…

Download Jim Silver’s full Submission here.