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Freedom to Read Week 2019

Jan. 31, 2019

February 24 – March 2, 2019

Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed them under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Freedom to Read Week is organized by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council.

Challenges to the Written Word

Freedom to read can never be taken for granted. Even in Canada, a free country by world standards, books and magazines are banned at the border. Schools and libraries are regularly asked to remove books and magazines from their shelves. Free expression on the Internet is under attack. Few of these stories make headlines, but they affect the right of Canadians to decide for themselves what they choose to read.

See our Challenged Works section for the real story on censorship in Canada.