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Freedom to Read Week

A guide to Freedom to Read Week for teachers, students, and those interested in intellectual freedom.

What is Freedom to Read Week?

According to the Book and Periodical Council's (BPC) website (2021):

Despite having strong traditions of free expression and free inquiry, Canada also has a long-standing tradition of censorship. Historically, books and magazines have often been quietly removed from libraries and classrooms. Freedom to Read Week was founded in 1984 to challenge the covert nature of censorship, creating a broader awareness of these ongoing challenges to Canadian writing, and to allow Canadians to actively defend their right to publish, read and write freely and to widen their understanding of the negative effects of censorship, not just on readers but on writers and publishers as well.

Over the years, Freedom to Read Week has become a regular feature of the annual programming of schools, libraries and literary groups across Canada. From student video contests to large public readings of challenged materials, participants have found creative and inspiring ways to show how important freedom of expression is to them.

Links about Intellectual Freedom

Listed below are links concerning intellectual freedom, both in Canada and internationally.

 

Declaration of Basic Rights:

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-15.html

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

 

Canadian Organizations for Free Expression:

Ad IDEM/Canadian Media Lawyers Association
http://www.adidem.org

British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
http://www.bccla.org

British Columbia Library Association
Intellectual Freedom Committee
http://www.bcla.bc.ca/ifc

Canadian Civil Liberties Association
http://www.ccla.org

Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC)
University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law
http://www.cippic.ca

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
http://www.cjfe.org

Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms
http://www.jccf.ca

NewsWatch Canada
http://www.newswatchcanada.ca

PEN Canada
http://www.pencanada.ca

Ryerson University’s Centre for Free Expression
https://cfe.ryerson.ca/

Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois
http://www.uneq.qc.ca

 

U.S./International Organization for Free Expression:

American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
https://ibooked.no/abffe.html

American Civil Liberties Union
http://www.aclu.org

American Library Association
Banned Books Week
http://www.ala.org/bbooks

Amnesty International
http://www.amnesty.org

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
http://www.fair.org

Feminists for Free Expression
http://ffeusa.livejournal.com

Free Expression Network
http://www.freeexpression.org

Index on Censorship
http://www.indexoncensorship.org

International Freedom of Expression Exchange
http://www.ifex.org

National Coalition Against Censorship
http://ncac.org

National Council of Teachers of English
Standing Committee Against Censorship
https://ncte.org/get-involved/volunteer/groups/standing-committee-against-censorship/

Reporters Without Borders
https://rsf.org/en