Somewhat - I may think about cancelling some trips. Yes - I will travel only when I have to. The NWT's Literacy Week was held from Oct. 3-10 this year. NWT Literacy Week is an opportunity to think about literacy and its importance to us personally, to our families and communities. It is also a time to take stock of how well we are doing in supporting literacy development in the Northwest Territories, where literacy rates continue to remain low after nearly a decade of strategies, partnerships and promotion.
Literacy is an issue that matters.
From the federal government's perspective, literacy is a critical socio-economic issue. Two recent Stats Canada reports have underlined the importance of literacy as an indicator of economic success and social well being. Through the National Literacy Secretariat, they have encouraged partnerships among government organizations, volunteer groups, schools, business and labour to address literacy issues of common concern. Literacy has been promoted through national TV as campaigns, special Canada Post stamps and Literacy Action Day. Here in the NWT, we have several funding programs that support community literacy, aboriginal language literacy and workplace literacy.