I have to really disagree with those who see "coding" as a specialty that is just a "fad". I see Canadian business being less competitive in the global marketplace because computer technology overlaps into every single endeavour, and computer literacy is so important.  Computer literacy does not mean just knowing which buttons to push.  We have to look seriously at the basic aptitudes that will make it easier for students to pursue the specialties that may interest them later.  The European schools are doing a better job at this, and writing and arithmetic, while very important, are not sufficient.   Further, over many years of selling and training computer software, I believe that we would have gotten farther, sooner, if today's employees, middle-aged and older, had developed an aptitude for using and managing computer technology sooner in life.  The younger generation is quite a bit better in that regard, but unfortunately a significant number are being left behind because of bias.