Back in March, our team participated in the CELI 2026 Forum, Community Vitality in Action, hosted by Literacy Québec and TALQ. 

Our Executive Director, Nicholas Salter, joined a panel alongside Cathy Brown, Wendy Seys, Sylvia Martin-Laforge, and John Buck, moderated by Celine Cooper, exploring the links between literacy, employment, and economic inclusion for English-speaking Quebecers. During the panel, Nicholas emphasized that strengthening the community’s literacy and French language proficiency is key to boosting employability and unlocking an estimated $1.5 billion in unrealized annual economic potential.

“Strengthening our community’s literacy and language skills are key levers for improving employability and helping more people fully participate in the labour market,” noted Salter. “As work becomes more knowledge-based and technology-driven, foundational, digital, and linguistic literacy are increasingly essential for participating and advancing in today’s workforce.” 

The event was also an opportunity for our Director of Policy and Research, Sta Kuzviwanza, and our Director of Organizational Development, Morgan Gagnon, to promote our Circonflexe au travail initiative while learning about new initiatives across Québec’s literacy sector.

Community Impact and Collaboration

The forum also highlighted the tangible results of the Community Empowerment Literacy Initiative (CELI). Over the past three years, the initiative has invested over $1 million in dozens of literacy projects across Québec, transforming lives through the work of organizations like the DESTA Black Community Network and the Committee for Anglophone Social Action (CASA).

By linking literacy directly to employability, PERT and its partners continue to work toward a future where every English-speaking Quebecer has the tools necessary to fully participate in the province’s economic life.

Many thanks to the organizers and participants for a thoughtful and engaging forum.