Honourable Ministers and guests:

Thank you to Minister Bond for inviting me to participate at this conference on literacy. I understand that this conference is being co-sponsored by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Advanced Education. I am also informed that the theme of the conference is Communities Working Together for Literacy, and focuses specifically on the role of community engagement and collaboration in fostering improved literacy – celebrating and learning from what is already underway in our Province.

Our goal is “literacy equals opportunity.” This means that for those parents living below the poverty line, the purchase of books for their children can be a challenge, if not an impossibility. It is important for parents to read to their children at a very early age to encourage the culture of reading. But if that parent has to first pay the rent, buy clothing and food, what is left over, if anything, is generally not spent on books. For these parents, if they are inclined to read to their children, the issue is opportunity to do so.

The other issue is the desire to build a culture of literacy in the family where reading is simply one of the things that are done on a daily basis. For First Nations people who might come from a strong oral-based family culture, this means that reading is somewhat foreign. Reading might even be viewed as counter-culture or anti-oral tradition. In this circumstance it is more difficult to create a culture of literacy if the parents are unfamiliar with reading as a daily practice or if they are opposed to doing so. In this case I think it is important to create forums in which parents can express their concerns and are allowed to explore ways and means to preserve their oral traditions in a literacy-based world. Reading should not be seen as counter to the traditional way of passing on cultural information; it can simply be another tool to accomplish the same thing. If stories were culturally relevant to the parents, reflected their values and heritage, then it might be easier for parents to conclude that literacy is a good thing for their children.

I think that children’s storytelling could be brought to communities through the venue of a children’s festival for example, where storytellers relay their material that is then made available to the participants, similar to how musicians, might sell CDs after a concert. Instead of distributing CDs however, the storyteller would simply give out books of the stories that were told.

I think there are innovative ways to create a culture of literacy without supplanting the oral tradition. I think it is necessary for the advancement and preservation of culture to move with the times. Orality need not be supplanted by literacy; it can simply become literacy’s grandfather.

Finally, if parents are inclined to read to their children and they can afford to purchase these books, the concern for many remote areas of BC is availability of books that are age and culturally relevant. My hope is that every child or adult in BC has the same chance to read books, if that is their inclination. Small remote communities could be supplied books and even some schools with limited budgets could be given support by making extra books available for their students.

I do not have all the answers; I don’t even know all the questions, but I am willing to put my paddle in the water on this issue. This is an important area and warrants our attention and energy. No wonder why so many government and non-government organizations are already working on literacy.

On behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, thank you for coming together for this conference and thank you for your commitment to the literacy movement in BC and across Canada.

LOCATION:1401 Rockland Avenue
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada V8S 1V9

PHONE:(250) 387-2080

FAX:(250) 387-2078

EMAIL:ghinfo@gov.bc.ca

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