National Reading Campaign Information

The National Reading Campaign is leading the development of an action plan to deliver a reading strategy for all Canadians. Reading allows us to communicate, consume media and perform the activities of daily life, including our jobs in an ever-changing workplace. Reading is under pressure from a range of sources: screen-based learning materials in classrooms and screen-oriented entertainments in homes are reducing the access that children have to print materials. The reduction of book budgets for school and public libraries that many provinces experienced in the 1990s has made it harder for libraries to engage students and adults in developing reading habits and skills. Yet, at the same time, more research is available than ever before to confirm the importance of reading in academic success, enhanced quality of life, stable economies, and strong communities. Becoming a reader is at the very heart of responsible citizenship, but we often lose sight of what reading — as an intellectual activity — contributes to our sense of self, our cultural awareness, our capacity for self-expression and, ultimately, our notions of engaged citizenship and the collective good. Reading, after all, is about so much more than a technical act that allows us to communicate, consume media and perform the activities of daily life. To be literate is necessary, but it is not enough.