One in five Quebec adults can't read well enough to navigate daily life; Literacy Unlimited working to close the gap

More than one in five Quebec adults can't read well enough to fully navigate daily life, and the gap is wider here than the national average. Twenty-two percent of Quebec adults have literacy levels below level 2—defined as being able to pick out only a few words in a paragraph. Quebec's rate outpaces the national average.

Of those 22 percent, 40 percent are high school dropouts, 20 percent are newcomers, and the remainder include people with neurodivergency and Indigenous populations with limited access to appropriate education.

Low literacy shapes work, health, finances, and connection to people around others. According to research, a 1 percent increase in literacy levels correlates with a 5 percent GDP increase in Canada.

Literacy Unlimited, a Montreal-based organization, is working to change this. The group offers 12-hour training sessions for volunteers—who do not need to be teachers—to mentor learners one-on-one. Hagop Shahbazian, a learner at Literacy Unlimited, said his experience illustrates the stakes. "I didn't know how to read or write. I had difficulties in knowing the streets where I lived," Shahbazian said. With help from mentor David Winn, Shahbazian passed his driver's license test. "Walking into the AGM at the end of a year to learn that he had passed his driver's license test and was now a licensed driver, that was definitely the biggest thing," Winn said.

Julia Asselstine, executive director of Literacy Unlimited, emphasized the importance of creating a supportive environment. "There's often a huge stigma attached with the term literacy. It's, 'Oh, someone can't read or write.'" Asselstine said her organization operates as a judgment-free space: "Literacy is simply lifelong learning, and there is no judgment in our safe space. We will meet you where you are, and we will evolve at your pace with open arms."

The organization is now exploring digital literacy and critical thinking about AI for students and learners—areas where digital literacy levels tend to drop significantly in seniors populations. September 8 marked International Literacy Day.