OTTAWA — A national think-tank acclaimed for its research on lifelong learning is scrambling for survival after the federal government decided not to renew its five-year grant.

In a letter to the Canadian Council on Learning, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley said the decision not to refresh the council’s $85-million federal funding, “was not made lightly.” Her spokesman said there was never a guarantee the money would continue.

Nonetheless, CCL president and CEO Dr. Paul Cappon said the cutoff was a shock. The organization had already reduced staff by stretching the five-year grant to six years, he said.

“It’s unimaginable to me that anybody could think that at a time when Canada is slipping — and it is slipping down the learning curve — that this is less important than it was in 2004 when CCL began,” said Cappon.

The council is known for its Composite Learning Index, which measures learning conditions nationwide. Last year, Canada’s rating slipped. It also produced an annual report card on the state of learning outside formal schooling, and one on the state of post-secondary education in Canada.

It has delved into aboriginal learning, and its report on the future of adult literacy “shattered the country’s complacency,” Cappon said.

Last year, he said, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development wrote to Prime Minister Stephen Harper lauding the council’s work.

Finley’s spokesman, Ryan Sparrow, said in an e-mail that employers, workers and economists had all told the government “there is a need for better learning information that is more aligned with labour markets and takes into account international competitive challenges.” He said the government will focus on “the creation of an improved learning information system.”

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff called the funding cutoff “incredible. In a recession this is the worst possible time to cut investment in education.”

christina.spencer@sunmedia.ca