The incredible speed at which information and communication technologies have advanced over the past two decades has far outpaced awareness and understanding by citizens of the increasingly elaborate mechanisms of cyber infringement on their personal safety and rights. Countries deficient in the traditions and core values of human rights enjoyed by liberal democracies have discovered that technology is now a powerful avenue for civilian monitoring and oppression. In the name of state security or political and social orthodoxies, or both, cyber surveillance and filtering technologies have swiftly become pervasive and sinister, yet remain clandestine.
The Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary centre located in the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. Under the leadership of Professor Ron Deibert, who founded The Citizen Lab in 2001 and remains its sole director, The Citizen Lab works at the intersection of digital media, global security, and human rights. It is a pioneer in advanced research and development to monitor, analyze, and influence the exercise of political power and policy in cyberspace, not only in Canada and other countries but among international organizations as well. Its funding, grant, partner, and cooperating institutions are the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Open Society Institute; the International Development Research Centre; the Ford Foundation; the Social Science Research Council Program on Information Technology and Social Transformations; Eurasian i‐Policy Network; Privaterra; Govcom.org; the University of California‐Berkeley; and the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland).

The Citizen Lab supports the principles of intellectual freedom and human rights enjoyed by Canadians, and fights for populations of less fortunate countries that do not have the benefit of these freedoms. It tracks and reports on global misuse of technology in the areas of citizen surveillance, snooping, tracing, and use of personal data, and has published numerous reports and articles, for example, on sophisticated cell phone Trojans installed on unsuspecting so‐called dissidents; on Big Data and the growing political importance of the corporate giants that own and operate cyberspace; and on Canadian cyber security policy. The Citizen Lab’s vision calls for a strong Canadian role in protecting and preserving open communication around the world.
Among The Citizen Lab’s many contributions are OpenNet Initiative, created to identify and document Internet filtering and surveillance practices; OpenNet Asia and OpenNet Eurasia, collaborative research, advocacy, and networking projects aimed at monitoring Internet and digital censorship and surveillance practices in and Eurasia; Information Warfare Monitor analyzing the exercise of power in cyberspace; Psiphon, censorship circumvention software; and the Cyber Stewards program. The Lab espouses ‘hacktivism’ in its original sense of the desire to open up Internet technology, not to accept it at face value, and to use it for positive social change.

The Citizen Lab has demonstrated outstanding courage and conviction in pursuing its vision of an unshackled Internet grounded in human rights and freedom of expression, a vision that is shared by the Canadian Library Association and the people of Canada. The many successes of The Citizen Lab in facilitating censorship circumvention in cyberspace and in monitoring and curbing malicious and abusive practices wherever they occur are contributions both to the international

community and to Canada. Whatever happens in cyberspace happens locally too. Canada is fortunate to have The Citizen Lab as an international leader in balancing cyber human rights with other global and state interests.

The award will be presented in Toronto on 28 February as part of Freedom to Read Week at: The Book and Periodical Council and Raconteurs Present: Censored, 7:30pm, The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W. Tickets/Info: freedomtoread.ca.

CLA Advancement of Intellectual Freedom in Canada Award recognizes and honours outstanding contributions to intellectual freedom in Canada by individuals or groups. Preference is given to librarians and library institutions. However like‐minded individuals such as teachers or authors or groups such as schools or publishers are also eligible. The award is given from time‐to‐time, not necessarily on an annual basis, and there may be more than one recipient in any one year. For more information go to: http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm? ection=CLA_Advancement_of_Intellectual_Freedom_in_Canada_Award&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=12518

Previous Recipients:

2012 Calgary Freedom to Read Week Committee

2011 Alan Borovoy

2010 Kent Weaver

2009 Kim Bolan

2008 Nancy Branscombe & Gina Barber

2007 Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

2006 June Callwood

2005 David Wyman

2004 Monique Désormeaux

2003 James Chamberlain

2002 Peter Carver/Nancy Fleming/Sarah Thring

2000 Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium

1999 Board & Staff of the Greater Victoria Public Library

1997 Alvin M. Schrader

1996 Burlington Public Library

1988 Les Fowlie & the Toronto Public Library Board

The Canadian Library Association / Association canadienne des bibliothèques is Canada’s largest national and broad‐based library association, representing the interests of public, academic, school and special libraries, professional librarians and library workers, and all those concerned about enhancing the quality of life of Canadians through information and literacy.

Freedom to Read Award Given for Courageous Publishing.

The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) recognizes the courageous work of children’s book publisher, Patsy Aldana, with its Freedom to Read Award for 2013. As head of Groundwood Books from 1978 to 2012, Ms Aldana produced beautiful, cutting-edge books for young readers.
“Patsy Aldana has been a tireless promoter and defender of literature that digs into and examines challenging and often uncomfortable realities,” said John Degen, TWUC’s executive director. “She has defended the right of children to read widely, and make up their own minds. She was the unanimous choice for TWUC’s 2013 Freedom to Read Award.”

Several Groundwood titles have been challenged by groups unhappy with perceived political inaccuracies. The Shepherd’s Granddaughter, by Anne Laurel Carter and Three Wishes, by Deborah Ellis both deal with the Israel-Palestine question, and both have faced calls for removal from school libraries. In each case, Ms Aldana publicly defended the book and author.

“The Union has been offering this award for a number of years,” added Degen. “It’s one of the meaningful ways Canada’s writers participate in Freedom to Read Week.”

Born in Guatemala, Ms Aldana moved to Canada in 1971. She received the Order of Canada in 2010. In October of 2012 she stepped down as publisher of Groundwood. Previous recipients have included Quebec writer Charles Montpetit, Janine Fuller of Little Sisters bookstore in Vancouver, lawyers Clayton Ruby and Alan Borovoy, novelist Lawrence Hill, and writer John Ralston Saul.

Freedom to Read Week (February 24-March 2, 2013) is an initiative of the Book and Periodical Council (freedomtoread.ca). The FTR award will be presented at The Book and Periodical Council and Raconteurs Present: Censored, a night of true storytelling celebrating Freedom to Read Week 2013. This event will take place at the Garrison in Toronto on Thursday, February 28 at 7:00pm. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. For more information visit freedomtoread.ca/events.

The Book and Periodical Council is delighted to announce the lineup of Toronto events for the 29th annual Freedom to Read Week (Feb. 24 to March 2, 2013). Events include CENSORED, a headline event presented in partnership with Toronto’s monthly storytelling collective the Raconteurs (raconteurs.ca); University of Toronto Writer-in-Residence Joy Kogawa discussing the state of free expression in Canada with Katherine Govier, poet laureate George Elliott Clarke and Marian Botsford Fraser; challenged book and magazine displays; awards; readings; open mics; and a PEN Canada examination of disappearing books in the digital age.

Events take place at locations across Toronto from February 24 to March 2, 2013. A complete list of events both in Toronto and at locations across Canada is available at freedomtoread.ca.

LISTINGS

Presented by the Book and Periodical Council & Raconteurs

Thursday, February 28, 7pm. The Garrison. 1197 Dundas St. W.

CENSORED

Playwright Catherine Frid; feminist advocate Steph Guthrie; librarian and storyteller Ken Setterington; novelist, journalist and activist Susan Swan; and book publishing veteran Bruce Walsh take the stage to share real life stories of censorship – off the cuff. The Canadian Library Association’s Advancement of Intellectual Freedom in Canada Award and The Writers’ Union of Canada’s Freedom to Read Award will also be presented.
Tickets: $7 advance; $10 at the door.
Box Office: freedomtoreadweekcensored.eventbrite.ca

Other Freedom to Read Week events in Toronto

Monday, February 18 – Monday, March 4, Type Books, 883 Queen St. W.
CENSORED: Challenged Books Display
A display of must-reads that might have been can’t-reads, in support of Freedom to Read Week and CENSORED on February 28.
FREE

Monday, February 25, 2pm. Toronto Reference Library. Elizabeth Beeton Auditorium. 789 Yonge St.
FORBIDDEN READING
A screening of the third part of Mark Johnson’s award-winning series, Empire of the Word. Director Mark Johnson and Producer Amanda Handy participate in a Q&A after the screening.
Tickets: FREE
Info: torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes or call 416-393-7131.

Monday, February 25, 7pm. Yorkville Library Program Room. 22 Yorkville Ave.
LIBEL AND PRIVACY: WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH WHAT YOU SAY ON THE INTERNET
A Freedom to Read Week presentation with Peter Jacobsen, defamation and media lawyer; board member, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.
Tickets: FREE
Info: torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes or call 416-393-7131.

Tuesday, February 26, 7pm. Lillian H. Smith Library. 239 College St.
TOO MANY SECRETS
A discussion on why open government makes sense. With long-time reporter and broadcaster Paul Knox, Faculty of Journalism, Ryerson.
Tickets: FREE
Info: torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes or call 416-393-7131.

Wednesday, February 27, 7pm. North York Central Library. 5120 Yonge St.
YOUTH PUBLIC FORUM
A public forum for young people ages 12+ examining various forms of censorship, as well as a discussion on how specific books have been banned in different countries and cultures.
Tickets: FREE
Info: torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes or call 416-393-7131.

Friday, March 1, 5:30pm. Hart House Library. 7 Hart House Circle.
CELEBRATE OUR FREEDOM TO READ!
Novelist Katherine Govier, University of Toronto Writer-in-Residence Joy Kogawa, and Toronto’s Poet Laureate George Elliott Clarke will read from and discuss their work in celebration of freedom of expression in Canada with writer and broadcaster Marian Botsford Fraser. Co-hosted by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Hart House Literary and Library Committee.
Tickets: FREE
Info: ccla.org/events/conversations/ or call 416-363-0321

Friday, March 1, 7pm. Toronto Reference Library. 789 Yonge St.
BEYOND BOOK BURNING: DISAPPEARING BOOKS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
PEN Canada presents a conversation on free speech in a borderless world. This panel discussion will examine the new challenges and gatekeepers created by digital technology. Panellists include authors Stephen Henighan and Hal Niedzviecki.
Tickets: $10
Box Office/Info: pencanada.ca/events/upcoming/

About Freedom to Read Week
Freedom to Read Week is organized by the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee, a group committed to promoting intellectual freedom in Canada. Since 1978, the Freedom of Expression Committee has worked with educators, librarians and the community at large to provide information that addresses censorship and book and magazine challenges in Canada.
Freedom to Read Week is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. For more information visit freedomtoread.ca.

About the Book and Periodical Council (BPC)
The BPC is the umbrella organization for associations involved in the writing, editing, publishing, distributing, marketing, producing, selling and lending of books and periodicals in Canada. For more information, visit thebpc.ca.

Publicity contact: Becky Toyne, bt@beckytoyne.com

Via the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee

The Book and Periodical Council and Freedom of Expression Committee  are pleased to announce the 29^th annual Freedom to Read Week, with events taking place in libraries, schools and arts venues across Canada from February 24 to March 2, 2013.

Incorporating public readings and panel discussions, challenged book displays and a kit for educators, Freedom to Read Week provides an opportunity for Canadians to express themselves on the issues of censorship and the right to free speech and opinion.

“Freedom to choose what we read is a basic right, yet it continues to be challenged in our libraries and schools every year,” said Marg Anne Morrison, chair of the Freedom of Expression Committee. “With Freedom to Read Week, we invite Canadians to place such challenges under scrutiny, and to debate and discuss how they affect us all.”

A complete list of events and locations is available at freedomtoread.ca. Event organizers are encouraged to share their plans with Freedom to Read Week organizers through the same web address.

About Freedom to Read Week
Freedom to Read Week is organized by the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee, a group committed to promoting intellectual freedom in Canada. Since 1978, the Freedom of Expression Committee has worked with educators, librarians and the community at large to provide information that addresses censorship and book and magazine challenges in Canada.

Freedom to Read Week is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. For more information visit freedomtoread.ca.

About the Book and Periodical Council (BPC)

The BPC is the umbrella organization for associations involved in the writing, editing, publishing, distributing, marketing, producing, selling and lending of books and periodicals in Canada. For more information, visit thebpc.ca.

For more information:

Publicist, Becky Toyne: bt@beckytoyne.com | 416-871-0502
Freedom to Read Week: info@freedomtoread.ca | 416-975-9366

We’ve already started shipping the FTRW 2013 posters, and our kits should be on their way soon, but it’s not too late to place an order! Click here if you’d still like to order one of our beautiful posters or this year’s kit, which includes the hot-off-the-press 2013 issue of Freedom to Read.

If you have any issues with your order or want to provide us with feedback, give us a call or contact us at publicity@freedomtoread.ca.

Planning an Event?

Every year, schools, libraries and community organizations across Canada organize great events and displays celebrating Freedom to Read Week. If you’re planning something for 2013, let us know and we’ll help you promote your event!

Still looking for ideas? Visit our Get Involved page for great ideas, or check out our 2012 photo gallery on Facebook to see what people came up with last year.

Visit the Events page for a list of activities that will be happening for Freedom to Read Week 2013.

Freedom to Read 2013: Issue Highlights

The 2013 issue of Freedom to Read will start being mailed next week! Trust us when we say that this year’s edition is something you will not want to miss! Freedom to Read is an annual publication that examines issues of censorship and freedom of expression in Canada and across the globe, and it is a fantastic resource for any library or classroom, as well as a compelling read.

To order Freedom to Read 2013, please download an order form here.

In partnership with Ryerson University, PEN Canada invites Larry Siems from PEN American Center to speak about what emerged from his review of more than 140,000 government documents relating to detainee abuse during the “global war on terror,” brought to light by Freedom of Information litigation.

Larry Siems directs the Freedom to Write and International Programs at PEN American Center, where he leads PEN’s ongoing efforts to defend writers facing persecution around the world and protect freedom of expression in the United States. He is the author, most recently, of The Torture Report: What the Documents Say About America’s Post-9/11 Torture Program, which draws on 140,000 pages of declassified U.S. government documents to construct a narrative account of what happened inside the CIA’s secret prisons and military detention facilities in Guantánamo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

A poet and a nonfiction writer, Siems has also written extensively on immigration and cross-cultural issues; his publications include the acclaimed collection Between the Lines: Letters between Undocumented Mexicans and Central Americans and their Families and Friends. He has reported on human rights abuses along the U.S.–Mexico border for Human Rights Watch, and studied and written on immigrant politics in Orange County, California under a fellowship from the Open Society Institute. His poems have appeared in leading literary journals.

Free admission.

February 6, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. at the George Vari Engineering and Computer Centre (Ryerson University), 245 Church Street, Toronto.

For more info, visit www.pencanada.ca.

Here is the ITU’s official press release:
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2012/92.aspx

The Economist comments:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/12/internet-regulation

For CNET News, Declan McCullagh writes:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57559034-38/u.n-summit-implodes-as-u.s-others-spurn-internet-treaty/

McCullagh writes here as well:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57559503-38/u.n-summits-meltdown-ignites-new-internet-cold-war/

For Forbes, Larry Downes writes:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrydownes/2012/12/17/no-one-mourns-the-wcit/

The Globe and Mail editorializes:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/editorials/governments-should-not-regulate-the-internet/article6393669/

The Centre for Law and Democracy ranks “the strength and effectiveness” of access to information laws around the globe. According to this organization, Canada ranks 55 in a list of 93 countries. In the Toronto Star, Kathy English writes:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/publiceditor/article/1299427–freedom-of-expression-is-more-than-an-international-issue-public-editor

For the first time in six years of the survey, an entire genre of resources – graphic novels – was challenged for removal from a library’s collection. The challenge was motivated by objections to explicit sexuality and violence, and singled out 16 titles authored or illustrated by Jaime Hernandez in the Love and Rockets series.

Overall, Canadian libraries reported 101 challenges in the 2011 survey that is conducted annually by the Canadian Library Association (CLA) Intellectual Freedom Advisory Committee. Of these, 93 challenges involved library resources and eight were to policies. These challenges were reported by 32 libraries, most of them public libraries, serving patrons across six of Canada’s most populous provinces.

Love and Rockets was not the only series targeted in calendar year 2011. Three other series were also challenged: Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy; one season of four episodes of an ITV series titled “Trial and Retribution” on DVD; and, one season of nine episodes of “The War Years,” volume two in “The Adventures of the Young Indiana Jones” television series, also on DVD.

As in previous years, the reasons prompting challenges to library materials in 2011 were multi-layered. Challenges to library resources were prompted by more than 240 reasons – a reminder that the ideas communicated in books, movies, and other materials can trigger strong reactions in readers and viewers. LGBTQ books are a case in point. At least one LGBTQ-positive title for children has been challenged in all six years of the survey. In 2011 it was The Sissy Duckling, by Harvey Fierstein. The LGBTQ titles reported in previous years were And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, which was reported four years in a row 2006-2009; King and King, by Linda de Haan; and, My Princess Boy, by Cheryl Kilodavis.

Four major reasons accounted for two-thirds of all complaints to library titles: violence, sexually explicit, age inappropriateness, and offensive language.

Six in ten challenges involved books and most of the others were to DVDs. Of library books targeted, graphic novels for adults accounted for over half of the titles. Non-fiction titles were the other major category. There were a few challenges to children’s fiction and children’s picture books.

Three in four challenged items remained on library shelves, while others were relocated, reclassified, or in a very few cases, restricted. Most challenges were resolved quickly, within a month, but a few took six months or longer.

Eight policy challenges were reported in 2011, including a collection policy dispute, several borrowing and labelling policies for both print and non-print materials, and a software resource policy. One challenge was triggered by a library’s failure to follow its own policy on restricted borrowing of DVDs.

It should be noted that the survey is voluntary, and the self-reports forwarded to the Committee represent only a fraction of all challenges that occur during any calendar year. As CLA President Karen Adams commented: “Findings of the 2011 survey provide clear evidence that attention to the core value of intellectual freedom remains central to the advocacy work of Canadian librarians and their allies. Libraries have a basic responsibility to maintain the right of all persons in Canada to have access to all expressions of knowledge, creativity, and intellectual activity. I would like to thank those library administrators who participated in the 2011 survey, and strongly encourage everyone to report any challenges next year in the 2012 survey.”

Some members of the general public appear to be misinformed about the work of the CLA. One inquiry about the frequently challenged book And Tango Makes Three asked, “Why is it that the book (even though it has been challenged) still remains as a part of the CLA? Do books get ‘banned’ after they have been challenged or are there really no repercussions?” The purpose of the survey is to document challenges and inform the general public, not ban library materials. Misunderstanding of CLA’s role in Canadian librarianship points to continuing public education, awareness, and advocacy needs. The Committee encourages all library administrators to contribute to future surveys if they experience resource or policy challenges. Official policy prevents public disclosure of institutions and municipalities, but province and type of institution are permitted. Identifying data are collected for statistical purposes, verification of authenticity, and follow-up with reporting agencies if data elements are unclear.

Survey results are widely shared with the CLA membership, other library workers and advocates, the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council and the annual Freedom to Read Week publication, the Office of Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association (ALA OIF), and the Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression Committee of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA FAIFE).

The full report of the survey with a complete list of challenges can be found at: www.cla.ca. And for the first time, all six years 2006-2011 of the Annual Challenges Survey databases and listings of challenged titles and policies are now available for public consultation. The Canadian Library Association is Canada’s largest national and broad‐based library association, representing the interests of public, academic, school and special libraries, all who work in libraries, and all those concerned about enhancing the quality of life of Canadians through information and literacy. Information about CLA and its programs and services is available at: www.cla.ca.

‐ 30 –  

Media Contact: Judy Green, (613) 232-9625 ext 322 or jgreen@cla.ca

For twenty-eight years, the Book and Periodical Council and its Freedom of Expression Committee have organized Freedom to Read Week (FTRW). This annual, national event reminds Canadians why we must remain vigilant in protecting our right to free expression — a right that is too frequently challenged to allow complacency to set in.

The freedom to read can never be taken for granted. Even in Canada, a free and democratic country by world standards, schools and libraries are frequently asked to remove books and magazines from their shelves. Books and other publications are regularly banned at our borders, and free expression on the Internet is under attack.

Although few of these stories make headlines, they can have consequences that directly affect the freedom of Canadians to choose their reading materials: books, newspapers, magazines or websites. These stories can even affect what we watch on television or listen to on the radio.

This year, Freedom to Read Week runs from February 26th to March 3rd. Dozens of public events and festivals will take place in libraries, schools and cultural venues across Canada. Through these events, FTRW provides the opportunity for the public to learn more about the on-going challenges faced by educators, librarians, writers, reporters and the media. A complete list of events is available at freedomtoread.ca/events.

“The Freedom of Expression Committee’s main role is to monitor censorship issues in Canada to help ensure that the rights of all Canadians are protected. We simply can’t afford to take these freedoms for granted,” said Marg Anne Morrison, Chair of the committee. “We work with educators, librarians, booksellers, publishers and others across Canada to help them deal with challenges to reading materials and censorship in their own communities.”