For more than a year, the acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza has weighed on the minds of our members, as well as publishers, authors and artists across the world. On May 29, 2024, at the annual general meeting of the Association of English-Language Publishers of Quebec, a motion was passed to inform the public that a majority of members present at the AGM had voted to condemn genocide and to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Although quorum was reached and the motion passed, because fewer than half of members attended the AGM and because the item was not on the agenda circulated in advance of the meeting, the AELAQ board elected to engage in broader member consultation before releasing a statement. A further vote was conducted by email. Of AELAQ’s twenty-six members, 58 per cent voted in favour of issuing a statement conveying that a majority of members present at the AGM condemn genocide and to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Among those who voted in favour of the motion, some members expressed a sense of responsibility borne by writers and publishers to take a stance on the pressing issues of our time; some said that publicly funded organizations have a duty to take a public stance on issues in which their governments are implicated. Among those who dissented were those who expressed a view that such statements are the responsibility of individual writers and publishers, not of umbrella organizations.
The Association of English-Language Publishers of Quebec (Association des éditeurs de langue anglaise du Québec) is a not-for-profit organization that advances the publication, distribution, and promotion of English-language books from Quebec. AELAQ is bound to represent its members’ interests, which it undertakes primarily through professional development offerings, marketing initiatives, and advocacy for the anglophone Quebec publishing industry. Today we are heeding the request of a majority of our members to convey their thoughts on a matter that falls outside the organization’s typical remit, which speaks to the historical moment in which we find ourselves.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Fraser
Past President
Association of English-Language Publishers of Quebec
kathleen@aelaq.org