A new study by TD economics says at the current pace it will take nearly three decades for aboriginals to catch up with the rest of Canadians when it comes to literacy skills.
The report, says in the meantime, the cost to the economy will be in the hundreds of billions of dollars and Canada’s economic growth will be slowed.
The study finds 60% of aboriginal Canadians do not have the necessary literacy skills to complete in the current knowledge based economy.
TD Senior economist, Sonya Gulati wrote the report.
She says Canadians need to start talking.
“I think the issue is something that we need to continue to have conversations about and so while the issue is not new, I think by putting a spot light on something as critical as literacy there is always something value added in that discussion.”
But the report is not all bad.
It singles out a literacy group called Frontier college for making great inroads in improving outcomes.
Abby Robins is the communications director for the college.
“There are no huge surprises there, but it shows we need to step it up in the aboriginal communities.”
The college has been around since 1899.
It is a non profit organization that helps set up literacy programs in aboriginal communities across Canada, including about 20 in Saskatchewan.
Amoung them are summer literacy camps for children aged four to sixteen.
Robbins says outcomes have improved, but she says it will take a concerted effort of governments, the aboriginal community and society as a whole to bring aboriginal literacy skills up to current Canadian standards.