Many adults in New Brunswick are
struggling with basic literacy skills--as many as 60%, according to some polls.
Liberal Leader Brian Gallant slamming the Alward government for what he
calculates are 1.4 million dollars in cuts to adult literacy since the Tories
took power.
He says in its first budget the Alward Government cut funding
to the community adult learning services by $395,000, and in its second budget
they cut even more than that.
Post-Secondary Education Minister Jody
Carr counters that throwing money at problems isn't enough--and while cuts have
been made that doesn't mean the quality of the services has
suffered.
According to Life Literacy Canada, about 13% of workers in
Canada are under-qualified for their jobs, which has a significant effect on
wages and productivity.