What is the issue?
TWUC believes Canadian writing is a valuable and necessary resource for education in Canada.
A great deal of research has been performed over many years to reveal a rather distressing picture. Very little Canadian writing makes it into official curricula across the country, or onto post-secondary reading lists. A 2017 study by the Ontario Book Publishers Organization records only three Canadian-authored books in the top twenty books mentioned by surveyed educators.
What TWUC is doing
Getting more Canadian books in Canadian classrooms has been a cause the Union has supported since the very beginnings of the organization.
In recent years the Union created a Curriculum Task Force to survey research into Canadian books in schools. Recommendations from that task force prompted TWUC’s books-in-schools letter-writing campaign, begun in 2019 and aimed at provincial Ministers of Education. TWUC would like to see provincial/territorial legislation across the country mandating minimum standards for Canadian books in schools, and greater cooperation from those authorities who set curricula.
We also encourage specific federal and provincial/territorial funding mechanisms to increase the number of Canadian books accepted into Canadian classrooms. With funding from the Ontario Arts Council, TWUC has for many years administered the Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program which places Canadian authors in Ontario classrooms (now virtually when a physical visit is not viable).
What you can do
The letter-writing campaign is still active. Write a letter from our template example today. There is never a bad time to write to your member of provincial/territorial parliament/legislature and remind them that access to Canadian-specific readings as part of official curricula is an important part of building and protecting a national culture.
Further reading
- Books-in-schools letter-writing campaign – our advocacy kit to help you tell the government you want Canadian books in schools
- Ontario Book Publishers Organization report on Canadian books in Ontario schools (2017)
- Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools – administered by The Writers’ Union of Canada
- Writers-in-the-Schools programs across Canada – list of programs administered by other organizations
Stronger Together
TWUC’s advocacy is most effective as the collective voice of Canada’s professional authors. If you are not already a member of TWUC and are working as a writer, consider joining the Union. If you wish to support TWUC’s advocacy outside of membership, consider donating to the Union.
TWUC’s advocacy is most effective as the collective voice of Canada’s professional authors. If you are not already a member of TWUC and are working as a writer, consider joining the Union. If you wish to support TWUC’s advocacy outside of membership, consider donating to the Union.
