New Literacy Forum Archives

The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) has launched its Literacy Forum archives, a diverse collection of webcast stories, experiences, and expertise on literacy. Ministers of education from across Canada, under B.C.'s leadership, have united in their commitment to help the many Canadians who struggle with literacy skills every day. In April 2008, the CMEC Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum, a first-of-its-kind event, was simultaneously webcast to 3,000 participants at nine sites across Canada. Literacy.cmec.ca is the information hub of CMEC's Literacy Action Plan, Literacy - More than Words. It contains important perspectives and information for anyone working to overcome literacy challenges.

"Education ministers across Canada are united in their goal of improving literacy skills for the nine million Canadians who struggle with low literacy. We have highlighted the importance of strong literacy skills and are now working aggressively in our communities to support our learners," said B.C. Minister of Education Shirley Bond. "The inspirational and informative materials in the Literacy Forum archives will provide an excellent resource to support local literacy efforts across the country."

Literacy.cmec.ca currently holds keynote presentations from leading Canadians in government, business, and literacy research such as:

- Former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson
- Former Premier of New Brunswick Frank McKenna
- Canwest Global VP David Asper
- Early childhood development expert Dr. Fraser Mustard
- Adult literacy expert Dr. Paul BĂ©langer

Over the coming months, the site will grow to include more experiences and resources that were featured during the forum. Each of the participating sites focused its presentation on a key aspect of the literacy challenge: Aboriginal literacy, lifelong literacy, literacy and the workforce, building literacy in communities, and the economic benefits of literacy.

"Literacy is a priority for Canada's education ministers," said Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick's Minister of Education and Chair of CMEC. "Through these forum archives, we are continuing this pan-Canadian dialogue on literacy and moving forward on the national literacy agenda."

The Literacy Forum archive collection will continue to grow throughout the summer to showcase highlights from many of the more than 100 literacy presentations and activities seen at the forum.

CMEC is an intergovernmental body composed of the ministers responsible for elementary-secondary and advanced education from the provinces and territories. Through CMEC, ministers share information and undertake projects in areas of mutual interest and concern.

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