So Minister Flaherty with your new Roots shoes
Please don’t share with us budget day blues
We look forward to hearing there’s national support
To ensure low literate adults do not come up short
There have been promises made and research galore
Yet literacy rates remain the same as before
How can it be in a country so fine
48% of adults fall below the acceptable line.
So Minister Flaherty is it good news you’ll bring
A substantial investment in adult learning
Or will we continue the same as before
Where the cycle of poverty receives another encore
If we know what it takes to bring about change
When change doesn’t happen who’ll accept blame
Certainly not the learner who struggles for help
Or the community learning organizations operating under tightened belts
So Minister Flaherty how will the future unfold
For so many Canadians who may not be so bold
To step into the light and away from the shame
To acknowledge their hurt and continual pain
We do not ask much and we’re willing to work hard
To continue our role as the literacy watch guard
Please help us ensure there is a beacon of light
For being unable to read is a desperate plight
So Minister Flaherty please hear our plea
To ensure all Canadians are treated fairly
Literacy and work go hand in hand
It’s important for all Canadians to understand.
Yours in Literacy and Learning,
Lesley Dunn
