The Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP), the Canadian Publishers’ Council (CPC), and the Literary Press Group of Canada (LPG) strongly condemn the Government of Alberta’s decision to proceed with its discriminatory book ban, now formally in effect in schools across the province. The implementation of this policy confirms the concerns previously raised by our organizations and echoed by educators, librarians, publishers, authors, and students from the outset: this directive restricts access to literature, undermines professional expertise, and diverts scarce public resources away from where they are most urgently needed.
As reported by CBC, Alberta school divisions have been required to conduct extensive reviews of their library collections based on an updated ministerial order made in September. In Calgary, 44 books were removed from school shelves before students returned from winter break, while Edmonton Public Schools removed 34 titles. While these ban lists have not been publicly released by the provincial government, they have since been obtained and shared online. This review process has been resource-intensive, requiring staff to assess thousands of books using unclear and inconsistently applied criteria, and costing the school division upwards of $43,000.
Although the government narrowed its original directive from written descriptions of sex to visual depictions of sexual acts, the fundamental problem remains unchanged. The policy continues to disproportionately target works centring 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences, including award-winning and widely taught titles. These books pose no threat to student wellbeing and have been responsibly selected by qualified educators. They reflect lived realities, foster empathy, and support young people—particularly queer youth—in seeing themselves represented in literature. Images of nudity are not inherently sexual, and images of sex are not inherently pornographic. Teacher-librarians are trained professionals who are fully capable of making these distinctions.
The lists compiled by school boards contain Canadian-authored and published titles. The inclusion of Canadian works underscores the direct harm this policy inflicts on the country’s cultural sector, as well as on students’ access to diverse Canadian perspectives.
“Book bans divert educators’ time and public resources toward censorship, rather than education, while yielding no benefit for students,” said Alana Wilcox, President of the Association of Canadian Publishers. “This process has wasted time, eroded trust in educators, and restricted access to literature—at a moment when Alberta’s education system needs support, not political interference.”
ACP, CPC, and LPG reiterate our call on the Government of Alberta to:
- Repeal this harmful directive in its entirety;
- End top-down approaches to education policy that bypass meaningful consultation with educators, librarians, students, families, and publishers;
- Commit to developing future policies that respect student rights, professional expertise, and democratic values, while supporting—not restricting—access to a wide range of literature.
Book bans do not protect children. They restrict learning, stigmatize marginalized communities, and censor important perspectives. Government intervention in school library collections limits what students are able to read and learn, while adding further pressure to an education system already under strain.
The Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP) is the national voice of English-language Canadian-owned book publishers. ACP contributes to the development and maintenance of vibrant, competitive book publishing companies in order to support and strengthen the contribution that Canadian books make to Canada’s cultural, economic, and educational landscape.
The Canadian Publishers’ Council (CPC) represents the interests of publishing companies that publish books and other media for elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, professional and reference markets, and the retail and library sectors. CPC maintains liaison with major Canadian and international sector associations in writing and publishing, to monitor key developments in the sector and advocate for policies that promote a healthy and prosperous industry.
Founded in 1975, the Literary Press Group of Canada (LPG) is a not-for-profit association that represents Canadian-owned and -operated literary book publishers located across the country. LPG’s members produce books by some of Canada’s most innovative and creative writers, giving readers access to diverse voices that have not been well represented in mainstream publishing.
For more information, contact:
Jack Illingworth
Executive Director, ACP
jack_illingworth@canbook.org