CURRENT CENSORSHIP ISSUES IN CANADA freedomBOOK AND PERIODICAL COUNCIL toread2017 VOLUME 33 IN DEFENCE OF GRAPHIC NOVELS FOREWORD ELCOME, DEAR READERS looks at why the genre is so often and fellow free expression targeted. Wsupporters, to the 2017 This year’s Freedom to Read artist Freedom to Read review. Twenty is Canadian illustrator and cartoon- seventeen marks the 33rd year of ist Jillian Tamaki. Her arresting the review and Freedom to Read work graces the review’s cover, the Week, a cross-Canada event 2017 Freedom to Read Week poster encouraging us to think about and the bookmark. Her graphic and reaffirm our commitment to novel This One Summer, co-created intellectual freedom, guaranteed with her cousin Mariko Tamaki, under the Charter of Rights and has been challenged in American Freedoms. The review examines libraries for its mature themes and issues of censorship, challenges alleged profanity. to reading materials, surveillance Should Canadian colleges and access to information. Here and universities put warning are some of the highlights. labels on course content? This The 2017 champion of free hot-button debate is a growing expression is author and activ- concern. In “Words of Caution” ist Charles Montpetit. Regular (page 16), Canadian professor Jen readers will know Charles by his Reid thoughtfully examines the reports about Quebec in earlier issue from all sides: the students issues of this review. In an inter- upon whom it can have the view with Mark Leiren-Young greatest impact—for better and (page 10), Montpetit, whose for worse—and the universities books have been challenged, whose responsibility it is to be discusses his involvement in free open to ideas of all kinds in the expression issues, his activism pursuit of intellectual freedom. in Quebec and the differences in You’ll also find our annual censorship between Quebec and summary of challenged books English Canada. and magazines and our “Get Robin Stevenson, award- Involved” section filled with winning author of 19 children’s great ideas for activating your books, including Pride: Celebrating community and defending your Diversity and Community, writes right to choose what you read. about the obstacles she faced For more information about when visiting classrooms and freedom to read, please visit libraries to talk to children about freedomtoread.ca. the LGBTQ rights movement Enjoy your freedom to read for (page 18). another year! In public libraries across Can- ada, graphic novels are among the most circulated materials, Marg Anne Morrison yet they’re also among the most Chair, Freedom of often challenged. In “Drawing Expression Committee, ILLUSTRATION: JILLIAN TAMAKI JILLIAN ILLUSTRATION: Helena Dong Ire” (page 14), Book and Periodical Council freedomtoread.ca FREEDOM TO READ 2017 1 THE BOOK AND PERIODICAL COUNCIL (BPC) THANKS THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR GENEROUS SPONSORSHIP OF FREEDOM TO READ WEEK 2017: THE BPC ALSO THANKS ITS MEMBERS AND THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: thenewuarterly C A N A D I A N W R I T E R S & W R I T I N G Nunavut Public Library Services is funded by the Government of Nunavut, Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth The following people contributed an incredible amount of time and energy producing the review and poster and maintaining the website: Franklin Carter, Boyd Gordon, Jaclyn Law, Gil Martinez, Anne McClelland, Scott Mitchell, Marg Anne Morrison, Sandra Richmond and Reanna Sartoretto. The BPC, along with the Freedom of Expression Committee, thanks all writers, photographers, fact checkers and illustrators for their contributions to the 2017 Freedom to Read review and poster. Special thanks go to Charles Montpetit, Alvin M. Schrader and Jillian Tamaki. The BPC gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. © Book and Periodical Council 2016 Please send your comments and ideas for future issues of to the Book No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by Freedom to Read , any means without prior written permission of the Book and Periodical Council or, in the case of photocopying and Periodical Council or other reprographic copying, a licence from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). Suite 107, 192 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2C2. Please credit the Book and Periodical Council on any copies of review materials. T 416.975.9366 The opinions expressed in Freedom to Read 2017 do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Book and F 416.975.1839 Periodical Council or its member associations. E-mail [email protected] ISSN 1711-9367 Visit freedomtoread.ca for more information. BigGuyStudio.ca -- -- HH@BGS. HH@BGS. 416.838.5993 416.838.5993 HH@BGS. HH@BGS. 416.838.5993 416.838.5993 215 , 400 215 , 400 , 5 27 , 5 27 HH@BGS. HH@BGS. 248 , 203 248 , 203 , 5 3 9 , 5 3 9 416.838.5993 416.838.5993 215 , 400 215 , 400 , 5 27 , 5 27 2017 CONTENTS FREEDOMTOREAD 1 Foreword EDITOR By Marg Anne Morrison Jaclyn Law 5 Vital Statistics CONSULTING EDITOR By Franklin Carter Franklin Carter DESIGN, Big Guy Studio FRONT LINES Gil Martinez, Creative Director Boyd Gordon, Designer 6 Everybody’s a Critic: Results from the 2015 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BPC Annual Challenges Survey Anne McClelland By CONTRIBUTORS Alvin M. Schrader Franklin Carter, Helena Dong, 8 Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges: Promoting First Nations’ Mark Leiren-Young, Donald Lynch, Access to Culturally Relevant Literature, One Book at a Time Marg Anne Morrison, Jen Reid, Reanna Sartoretto, Alvin M. Schrader, By Donald Lynch Robin Stevenson 9 Superheroes of Free Expression: FREEDOM of EXPRESSION COMMITTEE Three Canadian Organizations You Should Know About Ron Brown, Franklin Carter, Cailin Cooper, By Reanna Sartoretto Sandy Crawley, Brendan de Caires, Teri Degler, Phil Dwyer, Kate Edwards, SPOTLIGHT Amanda Hopkins, Camilia Kahrizi, Mark Leiren-Young, Anne McClelland, 10 Champion of Free Expression: Charles Montpetit Marg Anne Morrison (chair), Lauren Perruzza, Alvin M. Schrader, Becky Toyne By Mark Leiren-Young Ex Officio: Stephanie Fysh PERSPECTIVES 12 10 Challenged Graphic Novels By Reanna Sartoretto 14 Drawing Ire: Graphic Novels Are Incredibly Popular and Frequently Challenged By Helena Dong 16 Words of Caution: Trigger Warnings, Academic Freedom and the Changing Nature of Reading By Jen Reid 18 Bringing Pride to Classrooms: How Schools Can Support Equity and Inclusion with Author Visits By Robin Stevenson GET INVOLVED 19 Challenged Books and Magazines POSTER and COVER ILLUSTRATION 20 Resisting Censorship in Canada Jillian Tamaki By Jillian Tamaki is a cartoonist and illustrator. She Franklin Carter grew up in Calgary but now lives in Toronto. She is 21 Under Fire: A Brief History of Book Burnings the co-creator with her cousin Mariko Tamaki of By the graphic novels SKIM and This One Summer, Reanna Sartoretto which was named a Caldecott Honor Book in 2015. 22 15 Things You Can Do Jillian is also the author of SuperMutant Magic Academy, a book that anthologizes her webcom- 23 Join the Conversation: How to Reach Us ics of the same name. Her new graphic novel, During Freedom to Read Week Boundless, will be released in June 2017. To find more information, visit jilliantamaki.com. 24 Are You a Free Expression Superstar? freedomtoread.ca FREEDOM TO READ 2017 3 POSITION STATEMENT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND FREEDOM TO READ thebpc A statement of the basic tenets of the Freedom of Expression Committee BOOK AND PERIODICAL COUNCIL of the Book and Periodical Council The Book and Periodical Council (BPC) is the umbrella organization for Canadian “Everyone has the following fundamental associations that are or whose members are primarily involved with the writing, freedoms . thought, belief, opinion, and editing, translating, publishing, producing, expression.” —Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms distributing, lending, marketing, reading and selling of written words. REEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT OF ALL CANADIANS, and freedom to read is part of that precious heritage. Our Committee, repre- MEMBERS 2016–17 Fsenting member organizations and associations of the Book and Periodical › Access Copyright Council, reaffirms its support of this vital principle and opposes all efforts to suppress › Alberta Magazine Publishers Association writing and silence writers. Words and images in their myriad configurations are the › Association of Book Publishers of British substance of free expression. Columbia The freedom to choose what we read does not, however, include the freedom to choose › Association of Canadian Publishers for others. We accept that courts alone have the authority to restrict reading material, a › Association of Manitoba Book Publishers prerogative that cannot be delegated or appropriated. Prior restraint demeans individual › Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association responsibility; it is anathema to freedom and democracy. › BookNet Canada As writers, editors, publishers, book manufacturers, distributors, retailers and › Book Publishers Association of Alberta librarians, we abhor arbitrary interpretations of the law and other attempts to limit › Canadian Authors Association freedom of expression. › Canadian Children’s Book Centre We recognize court judgements; otherwise, we oppose the detention, seizure, › Canadian Copyright Institute destruction or banning of books and periodicals—indeed, any effort to deny,