QUILLBLOG

Outrage over sovereignty textbook

More turmoil over controversial books in schools. This time, the title causing concern is a textbook published by Quebec publisher Les Intouchables. Let’s Talk About Sovereignty at School, which has been put together by The Council for Quebec Sovereignty, offers sovereignty-themed activities for all ages. The Globe and Mail‘s Ingrid Peritz writes: “Grade-school pupils are asked: How many youth novels at $15 apiece could they buy if they abolished the position of the governor-general, which costs Quebeckers $9.4-million a year?… College-level students are asked to trace the history of the federal sponsorship scandal, while university students are given the task of calculating how much money is wasted by federal ‘intrusions’ into Quebec jurisdictions.” Needless to say, the Quebec Premier Jean Charest has denounced the textbook, and even Parti Québécois leader André Boisclair has said it will never be taught in Quebec schools under a PQ government.

But wait, shouldn’t children have access to all material, no matter how challenging or unpleasant its message may be? What sort of message are we sending to the children if this book is withheld? That the school system is not equipped to handle difficult topics? Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of our democratic society, right?

In Other Media eagerly awaits news releases from PEN Canada, Freedom to Read, The Writers’ Union of Canada, and the Association of Canadian Publishers among others decrying this blatant case of censorship at the highest levels of government and standing up for freedom of speech everywhere.

Related links:
Click here for The Globe and Mail article

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