Predictably, there were challenges to reaching our goal. Internally we had our resisters. Some staff, already facing heavy workloads, openly complained about having to take two days out for plain language classes.

Staff in some departments simply saw plain language as being largely irrelevant in their jobs, particularly if they were not communicating with industry, investors, other regulators or the public at large.

We suspect some resisters may have felt they had something to hide. As you well know, estimates of those with literacy problems in North America range as high as 30 per cent of the general population. It is reasonable to believe that that some of our employees might have literacy problems. Other staff were concerned that revealing deficiencies in their writing skills could affect their career path at the commission.

Finally, some expressed concerns that their writing would be constantly under siege by the “plain language police.” They worried they would be subjected to frequent, time-consuming and potentially demoralizing checks of their writing.