Employment attainment is blatantly more difficult for Aboriginals than any other population group in our country. Mendelson (2004) confirmed this in his claim that “Canada cannot have a high quality of life if there is a significant minority forming an impoverished underclass” (p. 1). Mendelson suggested serious policy considerations for the governing of Aboriginal policies with a “prairie lens” (p. 38), and he suggested investment in children, as he believed “literacy and numeracy are essential for employment in today’s economy and will be still more important in the future” (p. 38). Aboriginal children are more likely to live in poverty and are more likely to be in the child welfare system. They are also more likely to be victims of crime and represent a significant proportion of those involved with the justice system at all levels (Manitoba Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat, 2006, pp. 9–10).

Another link between literacy and employability was found in Westell (2005), where she quoted three conclusions from Beder’s 1999 study:

• In general, it is likely that participants in adult literacy education receive gains in employment.
• In general, participants in adult literacy education believe their jobs improve over time.
• In general, it is likely that participation in adult literacy education results in earnings gain. (p. 1)

It would take another research project to address the education of Aboriginal Canadians in any depth. Mendelson (2006) reported on the post-secondary education of Aboriginals and told us, “Aboriginal educational achievement is highest in the cities, second highest in towns, third in the rural areas and least of all on reserve. On reserve, at least 59 percent of the Aboriginal population is not completing high school” (p. 15).

I am not of Aboriginal ancestry, I do not identify as Aboriginal, and I have not lived an Aboriginal lifestyle. Because of these factors, I do not consider myself an expert on the cultural impacts of being Aboriginal and seeking employment. I have, however, visited more than 30 Aboriginal, First Nations, Dené, Cree, Ojibway, Inuit, and Métis communities in Canada’s north. I have seen the difficulties of workplace integration for traditional Aboriginals, and I have seen many failures caused by low literacy. Battiste and McLean (2005), in their report on the state of First Nation learning, agreed with me when quoting, “Educators and the literature agree that literacy is a key issue for the success of First Nation” (p. 11).