This study deals with a special edition of The East Coast Reader about the Speech from the Throne. The East Coast Reader is a non-profit, plain-language newspaper. It is intended for people with low literacy skills in Nova Scotia.
The idea behind this special edition was to explain to people how government policy applies to their everyday lives. The East Coast Reader therefore published a series of articles highlighting not only federal programs and services but also the people responsible for delivering them.
Federal departments and agencies, such as Environment Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, participated in this special edition. The East Coast Reader submitted the original texts on the programs and services supporting Throne speech initiatives to the appropriate government departments. The newspaper then rewrote the material following plain language principles. Following approval, they developed the layout in consultation with the department or agency.
The process that led to the production of the French-language version was unique in that the French version which resulted is in plain-language French and is not just a straight translation of the English.
The East Coast Reader submitted the approved plain-language English copy to Public Works and Government Services Canada for direct translation into French. Following this, the Fédération canadienne pour l’alphabétisation en francais (FCAF) reviewed the copy to ensure that the plain-language French version was of the same quality as the English version.