A “pan-Canadian literacy strategy” – a concept familiar to many who have worked in various capacities to improve the literacy proficiencies of Canadians – got a fresh airing at the Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum, held April 14-15 by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC).

CMEC, the intergovernmental body composed of the provincial and territorial ministers responsible for elementary-secondary and advanced education, conducted a rich agenda of plenary sessions and workshops with real-time interactive video hook-up in nine cities: Whitehorse, Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Arviat in Nunavut, Montreal, and Saint John.

The sessions, attended by more than 3,500 educators, literacy practitioners, literacy students, and representatives from business, labour and government, ran the gamut from essential skills for deaf adults and Aboriginal stories of success, to employing new learning technologies and facilitating learning in apprenticeship programs.

Raymond Théberge, Director General of CMEC, described the interactive conference as the “first step” in the roll-out of developing and implementing a literacy action plan that will “give children, families and communities throughout Canada the key to opportunity.” The two-day event was used as a platform to announce Learn Canada 2020, CMEC’s plan to focus on key themes of lifelong learning, across which literacy acquisition is seen as one of eight activities playing a fundamental role.

While CMEC’s essential focus is on elementary-secondary and advanced education, its emphasis on lifelong learning and its professed intention to engage all stakeholders in realizing its ambitious goal holds promise for fruitful collaboration and a healthy exchange of views. Indeed, the Interactive Forum proved, itself, to be a good meeting place where literacy organizations, educators, labour and business organizations, as well as government representatives exchanged perspectives and business cards.