Independent Canadian publishers from across the country will be in Ottawa this week for more than 50 meetings with MPs, Senators, and other government officials. Coordinated by the Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP), the annual advocacy week will showcase the work of independent book publishers and highlight ACP’s current recommendations to the federal government:
- Increase the Canada Book Fund (CBF) from its current level of $38.4 million per year to $58.4 million over five years or sooner,
- Clarify fair dealing for education,
- Keep our book industry Canadian and put Canadian-owned publishers
More information on ACP’s recommendations can be found here.
ACP’s advocacy week coincides with the public release of an industry profile of the English-language Canadian-owned book sector, prepared by Nordicity on behalf of ACP. Available on ACP’s website, the profile serves as a baseline study, which for the first time quantifies the economic and cultural output of the sector. Developed using data from the 2016 calendar year, the study demonstrates that the sector:
- Generated a total GDP impact of more than $454.9 million,
- Supported the employment of 5,940 FTEs,
- Published 6,420 new titles and editions—17% by first-time
In addition to meetings with MPs and Senators, ACP’s advocacy week will include a reception and book display for parliamentarians, co-hosted with l’Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL), the Literary Press Group of Canada (LPG), and le Regroupement des éditeurs franco-canadiens (REFC). This annual event is a highlight of the parliamentary calendar, and publishers look forward to showcasing the breadth and diversity of their work to MPs and Senators from all parts of the country. The reception will be held on Wednesday, November 28, 2018, from 5:00- 7:00 pm in the Sir John A. Macdonald Building, Room 200.