Booksellers denounce Quebec ending book purchase program in schools

On Aug. 12, literature lovers are invited to visit a bookstore to support local authors as part of the “I’m Buying a Quebec Book!” day.

But as bookstores prepare for crowds rivaling those of the holiday season, the industry is speaking out against a measure by the Quebec government that could jeopardize children’s access to books.

In July, the CAQ government decided to eliminate the $38 million budget allocation for school service centers that was earmarked for book purchases. This amount, the government stated, will be merged into a larger budget that also includes funding for a host of other activities, such as sports programs and field trips. Booksellers and former ministers are denouncing the end of a budget specifically allocated for school books.

This decision sent shockwaves through the Quebec booksellers association (ALQ), which “now fears that access to books will have to compete with a multitude of other school-related needs, at the risk of leading to a significant drop in purchases,” according to a statement sent to La Presse Canadienne.

To raise public awareness of this issue, hundreds of independent bookstores will distribute bookmarks on Aug. 12 to remind people that “books in school are not a discretionary expense, but a fundamental tool for educational success,” the ALQ added.

With the elections approaching, the ALQ is calling on the party that will form the next government to reinstate the budget allocation for the purchase of textbooks.

“We’re not asking for more money,” emphasizes Laurence Monet, president of the ALQ. “We just want something that existed before Ms. LeBel’s reform.”

In a platform launched on Wednesday, the ALQ invites citizens to familiarize themselves with the positions of the five major parties.

In an interview with La Presse Canadienne, Monet lamented having to “give schools the odious task of choosing between books and soccer balls,” at a time when Quebec is facing a literacy crisis that particularly affects young people.

In Quebec, nearly 490,000 young people aged 16 to 24—or nearly one in two—fall below literacy level 3, which allows them to “read dense or long texts requiring interpretation and the ability to make sense of the information,” according to data from the Literacy Foundation.

“Books should never be considered an optional expense because they are an investment in educational success. They are an essential tool for learning French,” she argued.

The ALQ is not alone in raising these red flags. Eight former Quebec ministers—including those of Culture and Communications, as well as Education—signed an open letter published Wednesday morning in the daily newspaper La Presse, warning of the “serious” consequences this measure could have on young people’s development.

“In a context where opportunities for dialogue are becoming scarce, reading remains one of the few vehicles capable of bringing citizens together around a shared narrative, reflection, or question. It fosters a sense of community, which is essential to the proper functioning of our democracies,” reads the letter co-signed by former ministers Luc Fortin, Louise Beaudoin, Agnès Maltais, Line Beauchamp, Michelle Courchesne, Christine St-Pierre, Maka Kotto, and Hélène David.

Liberal leader Charles Milliard, who visited a bookstore in Verdun on Wednesday, echoed these concerns.

He proposed giving each elementary school child a book written in Quebec at the end of each school year, as part of a broader plan to make reading a national priority.

Buy Quebec

Launched in 2014 by authors Amélie Dubé and Patrice Cazeault, the “I’m Buying a Quebec Book!” day is an opportunity to discover the wide range of genres and authors from Quebec.

“Whether it’s your first Quebec novel of the year or your twenty-seventh (we’re not judging), the important thing is to participate with enthusiasm,” Patrice Cazeault wrote on social media a week ago to kick off the festivities.

“August has changed the face of literature in Quebec. For the past thirteen years now, readers and booksellers have been eagerly awaiting the grand return of this day,” reads the website of Les Libraires, an association representing more than 125 independent bookstores.

Several events, such as author meet-and-greets and book signings, are being organized in bookstores across the province to celebrate this book festival.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews