These statements involve value positions which would probably be considered unacceptable by those adult basic educators who continue to adhere to the liberal perspective in that they display a clear bias for the interests of the working class; they are not 'balanced' or 'impartial'. To others like Serge Wagner, who outlined an explicitly Marxist perspective in his article on the Crossroads program in Montreal, they might not be "biased", i.e. class conscious, enough. However, the object here is not to judge the merits of these particular curriculum materials, only to illustrate that whatever stage one is at in one's political formation, what is required is an ever deeper and more critical analysis of social reality, particularly of the political and ideological implications of adult basic education, including one's own practice.

Freire argues that the process of critical reflection on one's own values and commitments must go hand in hand with the development of one's practice--there must be a consistency or "coherence" established between them. 41 Similarly, the Adult Services Department of St. Christopher House in Toronto found that:

we who intend to "do" development and literacy work must practice among ourselves the principles we are attempting to develop in others--shared decision making, collective action, an analysis of the situations we confront, a clear understanding of the problems we face. We have had to become more literate ourselves.42

This implies necessity of engaging in the difficult process of transformation of one's professional assumptions and modes of practice.

Summary and Conclusions

Since the early 1970's, the critical perspective on illiteracy, as inspired by the writings and example of Paulo Freire, has been a growing influence in adult basic education in Canada. It counsels a reorientation of ideas and practice toward support for movements for the fundamental social, political and economic transformation of Canada.

As was made clear in an earlier chapter, this perspective has emerged during a period of conflict with regard to perspectives on the meaning and significance of illiteracy, one component of a more general economic and political crisis in Canada. That is, with the onset of high inflation, economic stagnation and high Unemployment in 1974, the massive consensus around liberal welfare state doctrine began to break down. As one example of this, we have seen how the liberal "remediation" strategy, as formulated in the early 1960's, came under intense criticism for its failure to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth. The criticism has included the specific policies (e.g. academic upgrading under the Canada Manpower Training Program), but has extended as well to the framework of assumptions which informs them--i.e. the whole liberal perspective on illiteracy.