Research conducted by the Canadian Institute for Adult Education revealed an alarming degree of illiteracy among francophone adults living in Canada. In the province of Alberta the illiteracy rate was dramatic, with estimates of up to 10,000 adults who were francophone by birth and yet illiterate in French. This report describes the underlying factors influencing the intervention of a literacy project for this population (including demographic, historical, and socioeconomic issues for Franco-Albertans) that was launched in 1989 on the initiative of the Lifelong Education Department of the Faculte Saint-Jean of the University of Alberta. A primary finding was that an adult literacy program should be developed and implemented by fall 1990. The recommendations include specific suggestions for implementing such a program regionally, taking into account the special needs of the aged, youth, and women. They also outline the required human, financial, and material resources needed and offer suggestions for future research. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education) (LB)