Literacy

Writer and philosopher John Ralston Saul once observed that though many supporters of education in Canada 150 years ago were illiterate themselves, they "fought for public education because they knew that literacy was central to democracy."

Canada has since developed into a nation with one of the highest levels of education expenditure in the world. In 2000, Canada ranked sixth in the proportion of GDP spent on elementary and secondary education, compared with other Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development Countries.

In 2000, in a major international test, Canadian 15-year-olds ranked among the best in the world in reading, science and mathematics. Of the 32 countries involved, only students from Finland scored better than Canadians at reading. Within Canada, students from Alberta led all other provinces, especially in reading ability. The news was also good in science and mathematics, with Canadian students ranking fifth and sixth, respectively.

Canada also had a smaller gap in achievement between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds than was found in many other countries. Evidence also suggests that parents who are interested in and involved with their children’s education and who provide a home environment that stimulates learning have a positive impact on their children’s outcome, regardless of their background.