Four National Women's Groups: CCLOW · CFWEC · CRIAW · NOIVMWC


Recommendations:

  1. Introduce a Canadian Literacy Act in order to clearly establish the right of all people living in Canada to literacy and to establish principles and standards for literacy training.

  2. Ensure distance education programs designed to meet the literacy needs of rural and northern women, including farm women and women in the fisheries.

  3. Guarantee appropriate supports for women's participation in literacy programs, including accommodation of the specific needs of women with disabilities.

  4. Make language training in English and French available to immigrant, refugee and visible minority women regardless of citizenship or residency status.

  5. Provision of a Literacy Act should include access to language training for immigrant, visible minority and refugee women.

b) Education

Education is the system of primary, secondary and post-secondary schooling which leads to recognized credentials. The Green Paper addresses post-secondary education only, recognizing that provinces have jurisdiction over primary and secondary levels of schooling. Currently, jurisdiction over post- secondary education is shared between federal and provincial levels of government. Green Paper proposals suggest a diminished federal role in post- secondary education. It also, however, endorses better systems for portability and transferability of skills, knowledge and accreditation across jurisdictional boundaries. In our view, a continued federal role in post-secondary education and training in Canada will be essential to achieving portability, transferability and equality of access.

The Federal Government portion of post-secondary education currently includes responsibility for financing grants for university level research. The federal role in this area should be continued and resource allocation should be enhanced.

Access to the increased opportunities which come with a post-secondary education is important for all women in Canada. For example, among women, a key factor in finding and keeping a job at a decent wage is level of education. Women in Canada have significant economic responsibilities - for themselves, for children and for other members of society. Post-secondary education is necessary so that women can secure the jobs and the income they need.


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