Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom. As of 2024, Freedom to Read Week entered a new phase led by Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Urban Libraries Council, and the Ontario Library Association in partnership with the Book and Periodical Council.
In conjunction with Freedom to Read Week, and after careful consideration and discussion, the Board of Directors of the Quebec Writers’ Federation has issued the following statement:
Position Statement on Freedom of Expression and Freedom to Read
QWF is a writers’ organization with a mandate to promote English-language writers in Quebec. We are composed of passionate members from diverse backgrounds, with differing opinions, viewpoints, and sympathies. As an organization, we strive to create inclusive spaces where writers can come together and share their individual perspectives through artistic and journalistic expression. Only through the protection of free speech and intellectually honest discourse can empathy grow, and only through empathy can hatred and injustice be defeated.
To that end, QWF stands firmly against the pulling of any author’s books from the shelves of any library, bookstore, community centre, or school because of that author’s opinions, statements, or political position, even when these may be offensive or hurtful to members of our community. While we do not believe that writers or their work should be immune from disagreement or criticism, we accept that the courts alone have the authority to restrict freedom of expression and written material.
Freedom of expression and unrestricted access to literature are foundational to an open society and to the mandate of QWF, and it is incumbent on us as a writers’ organization to speak out against censorship of any kind.