We invite you to join in celebrating Freedom to Read Week February 22nd to 28th, an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom. Borrow a book that has been challenged in Canadian libraries from one of the displays in our Main Branch or browse titles from this online booklist.

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. It also encourages 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.

Thanks to Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Urban Libraries Council, and the Ontario Library Association in partnership with the Book and Periodical Council for leading Freedom to Read Week in Canada.