In Canada, we hear so much about book bans in the US — but did you know that the very same repressive practices happen right here in Canada too? Today, in schools across the country, educators and librarians fear retaliation for teaching or recommending books and resources that represent diverse lived experiences.

What is a diverse book / education ban? 

Any action taken to restrict or prohibit accessing, teaching, or recommending books, history and resources that share the lived experience of marginalized people, communities and perspectives. 

In the United States, diverse book and education bans are often the result of ‘challenges’ by community members and groups. In Canada, the decision to ban diverse books and resources can only be made by government employees / affiliate organizations at the provincial, district, school, and classroom levels. These bans are written as ‘recommendations’, but target teachers and librarians, quietly threatening disciplinary action or contract termination if they choose not to follow the recommendation.

In Vancouver, British Columbia, librarians and teachers were told by the District Superintendent's office they could not use I Dream Library - a digital archive of diverse books, film, and art - in their classrooms, or to find books for their libraries.

In Alberta, the provincial Department of Education added acclaimed author David R. Robertson’s graphic novel Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story to the not-recommended list for classrooms across the province. The list used as a reference for school boards, schools and teachers

In London, Ontario, the school board has banned teachers from recommending or teaching Lawrence Hill’s award winning novel and television series, The Book of Negroes.

In Nova Scotia, The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas was banned by the provincial Department of Education. It is only available to students if school libraries choose to carry it.

The stakes are high and our classrooms shouldn’t be censored — right now, millions of students in Canada are preparing for a world where they face increased dehumanization, erasure, political persecution and violence. How can they change what they don’t understand? 

Now is the time to come together, and protect our freedom to read and write ourselves into the future. End the bans, Canadian teachers need the #FreedomToTeach! 

The Freedom to Teach campaign highlights the ways historically underrepresented communities continue to be erased in Canadian classrooms. With your support, we hope to raise awareness of the unique and underreported barriers that Canadian teachers and students face in accessing diverse books, history, and resources  — including disability, Black, Indigenous and Asian history, feminism, SOGI/E (Sexual Orientation Gender Identity / Expression) and more.

Add your voice! Join us in calling for better protections for Canadian teachers and students accessing diverse books and resources in schools across the country. Together we can transform Canadian classrooms into brave spaces to learn and teach about the diverse history, communities and lived experiences that make up Canada and the world we’re all a part of!

Sign the petition and share your story.