2025-2026 Annual Report

Posted on by

The Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec held its annual general meeting at the Atwater Library on June 3, 2026, electing three new members to our Board of Directors. We’re also pleased to share highlights from the past year in our 2025-2026 annual report available below.

We look forward to another great year of great books, events, and community in Montreal and beyond. Stay up to date with everything AELAQ over the summer with our member events calendar!

Highlights from our 2026 AGM

2025-2026 Annual Report: Our Year in Review

On June 3, 2026, we held our annual general meeting in the Adair Auditorium of the Atwater Library. We are pleased to share highlights from our 2025-2026 operating year in an annual report available on the AELAQ website.

Learn More

AELAQ Welcomes New Board Members

L-R: Shannae Nitti, Rebecca West, Jennifer Varkonyi, Ryan Van Huijstee, and Luc Bossé. Not pictured: Anna Del Col, Connie McParland.

Our AGM also served to appoint this year’s board of directors. A big thank you to Sarah Robinson, Francine Yulo and Lara de Beaupré, who are stepping down this term, and a warm welcome to our new directors, Shannae Nitti, Anna Del Col and Connie Guzzo McParland.

2026-2027 Board of Directors

President: Luc Bossé, Pow Pow Press
Treasurer: Shannae Nitti, PAPP International
Secretary: Anna Del Col, McGill-Queen’s University Press

Members at Large:
Ryan Van Huijstee, Concordia University Press
Jennifer Varkonyi, Véhicule Press
Connie Guzzo McParland, Guernica Editions

Linda Leith Honoured with Lifetime Membership

Following our AGM, we were proud to present Linda Leith with an honorary membership to the association, in recognition of her longstanding and far-reaching impact in the literary community. We thank her for her tremendous contributions to the publishing industry, including her years on AELAQ’s board from 2014-2023, including as president from 2016-2019. 

Congratulations on this milestone, Linda!

The Latest from AELAQ

May 2026 Read Quebec Bestseller Lists

Check out what Quebecers are reading this month! We’ve compiled lists with our colleagues at BookNet Canada to show the bestselling titles in Quebec, both overall and amongst titles from Canadian-owned publishers.

We’re cheered to see so many local authors and several local presses represented. Keep supporting your local authors, bookstores and publishers this summer!

Discover the full list!

Montreal Review of Books Summer Launch

Save the date! Our Summer 2026 issue will launch on Thursday, July 2 in the beautiful gardens of the Cité-des-Hospitalières (251 Ave des Pins Ouest). A big thank you to our partners at Teesri Duniya Theatre for sharing the space with us!

RSVP

Building TRACTION

In our latest on Read Quebec, Frances Grace Fyfe interviews Leila Marshy about Baraka Books’ new chapbook series.

“We’re thinking about work that generates change. Like the pamphlets that pushed for these big social and political changes. It was about public education leading to action.” Read more.

Member News

Baraka Books Takes Home Two Awards

Baraka Books has taken home two awards this month! A big congratulations to the Baraka team and to authors Fred Anderson and Leila Marshy.

“Two powerful books by two unique, insightful and talented authors,” said publisher Robin Philpot in a press release. “We are proud to have published them, and it’s especially nice to see them recognized and celebrated.”

Concordia University Press Titles Nominated for 2026 AUP Book, Jacket, and Journal Show Awards

Congratulations to Concordia University Press on two recent AUP nominations!

Colin Ripley’s The House Is (Not) a Prison, published by Concordia University Press, has been selected for the Association of University Presses’ Book, Jacket, and Journal Show in the Jackets and Covers category.

Matthew Purvis’ The Pornographic Delicatessen, published by Concordia University Press, has been selected for the Association of University Presses’ Book, Jacket, and Journal Show in the 2026 Scholarly Typographic category.

Read more here.

Metonymy Press Launches Fundraiser

Metonymy Press has launched a fundraiser to help ensure the future of the press and their beloved 2SLGBTQ+ books. Check out the fundraiser and consider donating here!

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Award Submissions

Canadian Publishers, Authors, and Booksellers Call for Nova Scotia to Reinstate Funding for Publishers

Posted on by

Canada’s book sector stands with Nova Scotia’s arts community ahead of province-wide rallies against budget cuts to cultural programs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

March 4, 2026

Organizations representing Canada’s publishing, writing, and bookselling sectors stand in solidarity with artists, cultural workers, and arts organizations across Nova Scotia as communities prepare to gather at rallies throughout the province calling for the reversal of sweeping cuts to arts and culture funding. 

The proposed provincial budget includes a 30% reduction to operational funding for arts, culture, and heritage organizations, a $14 million cut to discretionary funding within the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage, and the elimination or reduction of more than 70 grant programs totalling over $130 million. 

We are especially alarmed by the Government of Nova Scotia’s decision to eliminate all provincial funding for independent publishers through the cancellation of the Publishers Assistance program. This devastating cut effectively reduces annual support for publishers from $700,000 to zero, making Nova Scotia the only province in Canada that does not invest in its own book publishers.

The publishers affected by this decision are independent, Nova Scotia–based companies that make significant contributions to the province’s economy, educational landscape, and cultural life—and to Canada’s publishing ecosystem as a whole. Collectively, these presses publish 100+ new books each year, employ local staff, contract local freelancers, work with Nova Scotian authors and illustrators, and supply books to schools, libraries, bookstores, and readers across the country.

Independent publishers are often the sole purveyors of local voices and regional perspectives. With this funding eliminated, fewer Nova Scotian stories will be written, published, and shared. At a time when cultural sovereignty is increasingly vital, cutting support for local publishing is a step in the wrong direction. Across Canada, publisher assistance programs strengthen the book publishing sector in order to ensure our stories, histories, and ideas are told by and for people in our communities, rather than being watered-down to suit larger, external markets.

The elimination of the Publishers Assistance program is a shocking about-face from the Government’s previously-held position that the province is “renowned for our storytellers,” one they affirmed as recently as last fall with their launch of the Nova Scotia Loyal book industry pilot program. With these announced cuts, those same storytellers are now being left behind.

“Independent publishers are essential cultural infrastructure,” said Alana Wilcox, President of the Association of Canadian Publishers. “When provincial support for publishing is eliminated, the impact is immediate and far-reaching—fewer books by local authors, fewer jobs, and fewer opportunities for Nova Scotian stories to reach readers. This decision weakens not only the province’s publishing sector, but Canada’s cultural landscape writ large.”

As artists, arts organizations, and supporters gather at rallies across Nova Scotia in the coming days, Canada’s book sector stands with them in calling for meaningful investment in arts and culture. The Nova Scotia budget has not yet passed, and there remains an opportunity for the province to reconsider cuts that will have lasting consequences for creators, communities, and cultural life in the province. We urge the Government of Nova Scotia to reverse these cuts and to recognize that sustained investment in local publishing is an investment in economic resilience and cultural vitality.

###

The book organizations that have signed on to this release include: 

  • Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP)
  • Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL)
  • Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association (APMA) 
  • Canadian Independent Booksellers Association (CIBA)
  • Literary Press Group of Canada (LPG) 
  • Regroupement des éditeurs franco-canadiens (REFC)
  • The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) 
  • Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ) 
  • Association of Manitoba Book Publishers (AMBP)
  • Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia (Books BC)
  • Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) 
  • Ontario Book Publishers Organization (OBPO) 
  • SaskBooks
  • Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS)

For more information, contact: 

Jack Illingworth

Executive Director, ACP

jack_illingworth@canbook.org 

ACP is the national voice of English-language Canadian-owned book publishers. ACP contributes to the development and maintenance of vibrant, competitive book publishing companies in order to support and strengthen the contribution that Canadian books make to Canada’s cultural, economic, and educational landscape.

Open Books, Open Minds 2025

Posted on by
Salle Desjardins
Centre Culturel Georges-Vanier
2450 rue Workman
Montreal, Quebec H3J 1L8
Canada

This World Book Day, the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec returns with the second edition of OPEN BOOKS, OPEN MINDS, a one-day conference geared towards the book publishing industry in Quebec and beyond. Join us in Montreal or online on April 23, 2025, for a full day of panels on the latest issues facing publishers and book industry professionals. 

Please note that the Centre Culturel Georges-Vanier is accessible to those with reduced mobility.

Tickets

9 am-10 am

Join Biblioasis founder Dan Wells to discuss the history and success of this Windsor-based bookstore and press, which recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary the same year it took home the coveted Canada Reads prize for Catherine Leroux’s The Future. 

With:

Dan Wells, Biblioasis

Dan Wells founded Biblioasis as a bookstore in 1998, and the company began publishing books in 2004. Since that time the press has published over 400 titles including, fiction, poetry, social criticism, and titles in translation from around the world.  Their books and authors have won and been nominated for many of the leading prizes in the world, including the Man Booker and International Booker, Dublin Impac, Goldsmith’s, Governor General’s, Writer’s Trust, and other prizes.  Biblioasis also publishes, with charming irregularity, CNQ: Canadian Notes & Queries, the longest-running independent critical journal in the country.  He lives with his wife and children in Windsor, Ontario.

10 am – 11:15 am

For better or for worse, artificial intelligence is here to stay. How are publishers and writers approaching this new phenomenon in a way that retains the human aspect of bookmaking? 

With:

Fenwick McKelvey is an Associate Professor in Information and Communication Technology Policy in the Department of Communication Studies at Concordia University. He is co-director of the Applied AI Institute and leads Machine Agencies at the Milieux Institute. He studies digital politics and policy. He is the author of Internet Daemons: Digital Communications Possessed (University of Minnesota Press, 2018) winner of the 2019 Gertrude J. Robinson Book Award. He is co-author of The Permanent Campaign: New Media, New Politics (Peter Lang, 2012) with Greg Elmer and Ganaele Langlois.

As both a writer and a digital designer, Crystal Chan’s specialty is merging storytelling and technology. She is an editor at UBC Press and the incoming president of the Quebec Writers’ Federation. She studied computational writing as an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre, exhibited algorithmically-generated literature at BBAM! Gallery, and taught new media and AI writing to undergraduate students as an adjunct professor in the Creative Writing Department of the University of British Columbia.

Lawyer and artist, Valentine Goddard is the founder and executive director of AI Impact Alliance, a non-profit organization that integrates art-based methods into the study of the legal, economic, cultural and political implications of AI. A member of Canada’s Advisory Council on AI (2021–2024), a member of a number of United Nations expert groups, and a regularly invited speaker at leading international forums, she has had the honour to collaborate with global experts on informing AI policy and governance.

Harley Smart is an independent publisher, book artist, and designer exploring the intersections of art, technology, and storytelling. With a background in design and computation arts, Harley’s work delves into how emerging technologies like generative AI can shape the future of book-making and creative production. His hands-on approach combines traditional book arts with new tools, resulting in innovative projects that challenge the boundaries of human-machine collaboration. He is publisher of Anteism Books and owner/operator of BookArt Inc, with a bookbindery in Montreal’s Mile End.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm

For many, publishing books is a labour of love. In an industry known for its demanding work conditions, where busyness is often conflated with success, and tech keeps us connected even when we would rather not be, how can we create boundaries to stay energized and inspired? 

Led by educational psychologist Dr. Anna Sverdlik, this talk will help participants identify common challenges faced by entrepreneurs driven by a passion for their work, and discuss strategies to create a healthy balance between ambition and wellbeing.

With:

Dr. Anna Sverdlik is the founder of Melioscope, a consulting firm specializing in engagement in organizations. She has 14 years of academic and practical experience developing engaging educational programs and improving engagement and productivity in a variety of settings. She is the author of over 20 academic articles and chapters, and a contributing author in popular media outlets such as Psychology Today. Dr. Sverdlik is additionally a faculty lecturer at the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology.

1:30 pm – 2:45 pm

Against a backdrop of trade tensions and political instability, how can Canadian publishers strengthen their relationships with overseas markets? This panel will help publishers navigate the changing landscape of international distribution and foreign rights.

With:

Lisa Quinn is the Executive Director of McGill-Queen’s University Press, based in Montreal, Quebec. Previous to joining MQUP in 2023, she spent eight years as director at Wilfrid Laurier University Press in Waterloo, Ontario, where she began her publishing career as an acquiring editor in 2006. She is currently serving as vice-president of the Association of Canadian Publishers and as a member of the board of directors of Livres Canada Books, as well as a past president of the Association of Canadian University Presses and the Ontario Book Publishers’ Organization.

Gabrielle Etcheverry serves as Deputy Executive Director of Livres Canada Books, a not-for-profit organization with a mandate to support Canadian-owned book publishers in their export sales activities and in developing international partnerships. 

An experienced international communications and outreach professional, Gabrielle holds over a decade of expertise in various fields of research and communications. She has previously taught university courses on Canadian and Latin American studies and has also worked as a Spanish-English translator and editor.

Dan Wells founded Biblioasis as a bookstore in 1998, and the company began publishing books in 2004. Since that time the press has published over 400 titles including, fiction, poetry, social criticism, and titles in translation from around the world.  Their books and authors have won and been nominated for many of the leading prizes in the world, including the Man Booker and International Booker, Dublin Impac, Goldsmith’s, Governor General’s, Writer’s Trust, and other prizes.  Biblioasis also publishes, with charming irregularity, CNQ: Canadian Notes & Queries, the longest-running independent critical journal in the country.  He lives with his wife and children in Windsor, Ontario.

Kathryn Willms is a literary agent at The Rights Factory, a literary agency based in Toronto with an international reach. Kathryn was formerly vice-president and senior editor at Colborne Communications and hybrid publisher of Iguana Books before launching a career as a freelance educational editor and writer. For the past four years, she has been working with nonfiction authors to sell rights in the major English-language markets, and has represented the agency at international rights-focused events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair and the TIFA IV program. She is the incoming treasurer for the Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents.

2:45 pm – 4 pm

How can publishers get their books onto local library shelves? Librarians and suppliers come together to demystify the acquisitions process and share insight into the decision-making behind their collections. 

With:

Aeron MacHattie (she/her) is an academic librarian whose career has moved through public libraries, museums, and archives. Throughout these varied experiences, she has been driven by the joy of connecting with people and a fascination with the documents that we use to build stories about the past. She is currently a Teaching and Research Librarian at Concordia University, where she supports students and faculty in History, English, and other humanities disciplines. She is also co-President of the Quebec Library Association (ABQLA).

Élise Marcoux is a bookseller and co-owner of Librairie Bertrand in Old Montreal. For the past 10 years, she has devoted herself mainly to institutional sales and the purchase of English books for the bookshop. Every month, with the help of her colleagues, she makes a selection from all the new releases to present to the librarians. When she’s not reading one of the thousands of books on her to-read list, you’ll probably find her on a hiking trail.

Daryan Sykes (she/her) graduated from the Information Studies program at McGill University in June 2024 with hopes of becoming a public librarian. Her dream came true just a few months later when she joined the team at Pierrefonds-Roxboro as one of their librarians. Since starting in August 2024, Daryan has worked on acquiring English books for both the adult and children’s collections for nine different libraries in Montreal. In her spare time, she likes to read books, buy books (which are two different hobbies) and think about books.

Before joining Montreal’s Lower Canada College in the role of Junior School Librarian, Barbara Whiston served in public and private high schools, in early literacy at the Fraser Hickson Library, and as Director of Youth Services at the Jewish Public Library.  She is a past president of the Association des bibliothécaires du Québec Library Association (ABQLA), and of its Youth and School Section. When not librarianing, Barbara can be found singing in a choir, thrifting, cooking, or vacuuming cat fur.

4 pm – 5 pm

Stick around for wine and cheese courtesy of AELAQ! Plus, bring a favourite book to participate in a book swap.

AELAQ unveils 2025-2029 Strategic Plan

Posted on by

The Association of English-Language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ) is pleased to announce a new strategic plan set to revitalize Quebec’s English-language publishing industry. Developed in partnership with Ledwell Strategies, this five-year plan will guide the association’s activities through to 2029. 

The plan comes at a time when publishers across the country are facing increasing challenges, with grant funding shrinking as production costs and market instabilities rise. For publishers in Quebec working in an official language minority, these issues are compounded. 

In response to these challenges, AELAQ’s staff and Board of Directors thought it an opportune time to survey its membership, gather feedback, and organize this information into a cohesive plan for the coming years. Centred around five main objectives, the resulting plan will focus AELAQ’s priorities to better assist its members in their business operations and the promotion of their books and authors. These five main objectives are: 

These priorities build on the association’s strongest assets—its flagship programs, the Montreal Review of Books and Read Quebec Book Fair, its collaborative spirit, and its ability to respond to the evolving needs of English-language publishers in Quebec.

This plan is the result of the vision and dedication of our Strategic Planning Committee, where I have the pleasure of working alongside our Board Secretary, Ryan Van Huijstee, our Executive Director, Rebecca West, and our Production Coordinator, Alexandra Sweny. 

We invite you to consult the full plan at the link below, and look forward to keeping you updated on our progress over the coming five years!

2025-2029 Strategic Plan

Best regards,

Luc Bossé
President, Board of Directors

Request for Proposals – Strategic Planning Consultant

Posted on by

The Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec, located in Westmount, Quebec, invites applications from qualified consultants to support the development of a 3-year strategic plan for the period 2026–2029.

Organization Overview

Founded in 1987, the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (also known as the Association des éditeurs de langue anglaise du Québec or AELAQ) is a non-profit organization that supports the English-language book industry in Quebec. We represent a dynamic community of 26 members, including publishers of academic and historical books, fiction, narrative, poetry, graphic novels and comics, non-fiction and children’s literature. 

We support and promote our members through a variety of initiatives and projects, including professional development seminars, advocacy, the Montreal Review of Books (mRb) literary magazine and an annual book fair. We are a regional affiliate of the Association of Canadian Publishers, a national network of associations that support and advocate on behalf of independent Canadian publishers.

Project Overview

The selected consultant will work in close collaboration with the Board and the Executive Director. The goal is to assist the board in developing a three-year strategic plan. 

Key Steps

  • Community consultation session
  • Collaboration towards an initial strategic planning session with the Strategic Planning Committee, Executive Director and selected consultant
  • Development of an immediate timeline to be rigorously followed
  • Development of strategies to support the association’s goals and priorities to meet its mission and develop a sustainable and flexible vision
  • Identification of procedures and next steps

Budget

We have a budget of up to $16,500 to allocate towards this mandate, including taxes.

Timeline

Due to grant funding requirements, this mandate must begin between January 1st and March 31, 2025. While the full extent of the strategic planning process can extend beyond March 31, 2025, it should be invoiced before this date. Ideally, the strategic plan would be complete in time to present at our 2025 AGM, to take place in late May or June 2025. Please submit your proposal by December 6, 2024. 

Proposal Requirements

Please include the following in your proposal response:

  • Overview of your company
  • List of facilitation skills and experience working with boards of directors, staff, and community 
  • Overview of related experience in guiding strategic planning exercises with non-profit organizations
  • Perceived fit with AELAQ
  • Familiarity with the Canadian and Quebec independent publishing field an asset
  • Overview of how you will meet our objectives
  • Scope of your work
  • Pricing Proposal terms & conditions (if any)
  • Qualified references

Please send your proposal and any questions about this RFP to Rebecca West, Executive Director: admin@aelaq.org by December 6, 2024.

We look forward to receiving your proposal!

Rebecca West

Executive Director

Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec

Members of the Association of English-Language Publishers of Quebec Vote for Ceasefire

Posted on by

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

Déclaration commune en réponse à un rapport publié par Mario Beaulieu, député / Joint Statement in Response to Report Released by Mario Beaulieu, M.P.

Posted on by

Une version anglaise suivra.

Le English-Language Arts Network (ELAN), la Quebec Writers’ Federation (QWF), la Québec Drama Federation (DQF) et l’Association des éditeurs de langue anglaise du Québec (AELAQ) souhaitent contester les conclusions d’un récent rapport publié par le député du Bloc Québécois, Mario Beaulieu. Ce rapport exprime des préoccupations quant à l’allocation de fonds fédéraux pour soutenir la vitalité de notre communauté linguistique minoritaire, insinuant qu’ils contribuent à l’anglicisation du Québec. L’allégation selon laquelle ces fonds sont utilisés à des fins autres que le soutien déclaré d’une communauté de langue officielle reconnue par le gouvernement fédéral, est dénuée de fondement et n’est pas étayée de manière adéquate par les conclusions du rapport.

ELAN et ses organisations affiliées, QWF, QDF et AELAQ, sont des organismes à but non lucratif œuvrant à mettre en relation, soutenir et créer des opportunités pour les artistes et les travailleurs culturels d’expression anglaise de toutes les régions du Québec. Nous unissons nos compétences et nos ressources pour favoriser le développement professionnel et pour partager les sources de financement, les perspectives d’emploi et les appels à la participation dans le domaine artistique. Nous défendons les intérêts de nos membres tout en partageant une cause commune avec la communauté artistique francophone.

Nous souhaitons souligner la légitimité du soutien financier fédéral à la communauté d’expression anglaise du Québec, reconnue comme une communauté de langue officielle en situation minoritaire (CLOSM). Ce financement joue un rôle essentiel en permettant aux divers organismes communautaires de mener à bien leurs missions cruciales. Il contribue de manière significative au travail indispensable accompli par ces organismes au service de la communauté. Nous tenons également à mettre en lumière son impact spécifique sur la vitalité continue de la scène artistique et culturelle d’expression anglaise du Québec, confrontée à des défis distincts par rapport au secteur francophone de la province.

Selon une analyse des données du dernier recensement réalisée par Hill Stratégies en 2023, on recense 13 800 artistes d’expression anglaise au Québec, représentant 32 pour cent de l’ensemble des artistes de la province. Le Québec et le Nouveau-Brunswick se distinguent en tant que seules provinces affichant une proportion aussi significative d’artistes de langue minoritaire dans leur secteur artistique respectif. Malgré leur présence substantielle dans le secteur, le revenu médian d’emploi des artistes d’expression anglaise est inférieur de 21 pour cent à celui de leurs homologues francophones au Québec, tandis que leur revenu personnel médian de toutes les sources, est inférieur de 17 pour cent.

De plus, il est pertinent de noter que le revenu personnel médian des artistes d’expression anglaise au Québec, établi à 31 000 $, est comparable à celui des artistes francophones du reste du Canada, s’élevant à 30 400 $.

Ces données offrent une perspective sur le secteur des arts et de la culture, mais elles confirment également des statistiques plus larges documentées ailleurs : bien que les Québécoises et Québécois d’expression anglaise représentent 14,9 % de la population du Québec, ils constituent 23 % de tous les Québécois vivant en situation de pauvreté et font face à un taux de chômage nettement plus élevé.

En résumé, ces données contredisent directement les affirmations générales du rapport selon lesquelles nous serions une « fausse minorité » et qu’il existerait une « asymétrie » par rapport aux défis rencontrés par les communautés francophones à l’extérieur du Québec.

La communauté artistique d’expression anglaise, loin d’être une force d’anglicisation, est solidement enracinée dans la société québécoise et contribue avec fierté à la diversité et à la vitalité de la culture québécoise, que ce soit chez nous, dans le reste du Canada ou à l’échelle internationale. Le succès mondial de nombreux artistes d’expression anglaise ouvre de nouvelles opportunités pour les créateurs des deux communautés linguistiques, renforçant ainsi la réputation du Québec en tant que société qui accorde une grande importance aux arts.

Les subventions fédérales allouées à des organismes tels qu’ELAN et ses organisations affiliées soutiennent cette contribution en fournissant des services essentiels à la communauté artistique et culturelle d’expression anglaise, qui est confrontée à des niveaux significatifs de précarité, tout en continuant à produire des œuvres de haute qualité. Cela permet aux Québécoises et Québécois d’expression anglaise de tous horizons de partager leur propre récit et d’apporter une contribution essentielle à la vitalité de leurs communautés, ainsi qu’à la diversité de la société québécoise dans son ensemble.

ELAN, QWF, QDF et AELAQ ont toujours défendu la protection de la langue française au Québec et ont cherché à collaborer avec la communauté artistique francophone pour atteindre nos nombreux objectifs communs dans le secteur, dans la mesure du possible. À cette fin, nous appuyons la collaboration et l’échange continus entre les artistes d’expression anglaise et les artistes francophones dans des créations artistiques qui contribuent à renforcer les liens entre nos communautés linguistiques. Nous apportons également notre soutien au travail, ainsi qu’au financement fédéral, des organismes de langue française à l’extérieur du Québec qui œuvrent à préserver la culture et la vitalité de leurs communautés de langue officielle en situation minoritaire.

Nous sommes fermement convaincus que l’utilisation légitime des fonds fédéraux destinés aux communautés de langue officielle en situation minoritaire pour soutenir la communauté d’expression anglaise, caractérisée par sa diversité et ses propres besoins et défis, n’entame en aucune manière ces valeurs. Au contraire, cela permet aux Québécoises et Québécois d’expression anglaise de contribuer de manière accrue à la richesse et à la diversité du paysage culturel du Québec et du Canada.

The English-Language Arts Network (ELAN), the Quebec Writers’ Federation (QWF), the Quebec Drama Federation (QDF) and the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ) wish to refute the conclusions drawn in a recent report released by Bloc Québécois MP Mario Beaulieu. The report condemns the use of federal funds to support the vitality of our minority-language community, implying that they contribute to the anglicization of Quebec. The implication that these funds serve any purpose other than the stated goal of supporting a federally recognized Official Language Community is in bad faith and is insufficiently supported by the report’s conclusions.

ELAN and its sister organizations, QWF, QDF and AELAQ, are not-for-profit organizations that connect, support, and create opportunities for English-speaking artists and cultural workers from every region of Quebec. We share expertise and resources for career advancement, funding opportunities, employment opportunities, and calls for participation in the arts. We advocate for our members’ interests and make common cause with the Francophone arts community.

We affirm the legitimacy of federal support for the English-speaking community in Quebec, a recognized Official Language Minority Community (OLMC); this funding enables the important work carried out by its various community organizations. We also wish to stress its particular impact on the continued vitality of Quebec’s English-language arts and culture community, which faces unique challenges compared to the province’s Francophone sector.

According to a Hill Strategies (2023) analysis of the most recent census data, there are 13,800 English-speaking artists in Quebec, representing 32 percent of all artists in the province. Only Quebec and New Brunswick boast such a large proportion of minority-language artists within their arts sectors. Despite their significant representation in the field, the median employment income of English-speaking artists is 21 percent lower than that of their Francophone colleagues in Quebec, and their median personal income from all sources is 17 percent lower. Furthermore, the median personal income of English-speaking artists in Quebec ($31,000) is essentially on par with that of Francophone artists in the rest of Canada ($30,400). 

While this paints the picture for the arts and culture sector, it also affirms more general statistics documented elsewhere: English speakers comprise 14.9 percent of the population of Québec, but represent 23 percent of all Quebecers living in poverty, experiencing a significantly higher unemployment rate.

Overall, the data directly contradicts the report’s sweeping assertions that we are a “false minority” and that there is an “asymmetry” with the challenges experienced by Francophone communities outside of Quebec.

Far from a force for anglicization, the English-language arts community is deeply rooted within Quebec society and proudly contributes to the diversity and vitality of Quebec culture, whether at home, in the rest of Canada or on the international stage. Indeed, the international success of countless English-speaking artists creates new opportunities for artists from both linguistic communities and reinforces Quebec’s reputation as a society where the arts are deeply valued.

The federal support for organizations such as ELAN and its sister organizations supports this contribution by providing crucial services to the English-language arts and culture community, which is subject to significant levels of precarity yet which nevertheless continues to produce high-quality work. It allows English-speaking Quebecers from a wide range of backgrounds to tell their own stories and contribute to the vitality of their communities, and indeed the diversity of Quebec society as a whole.

ELAN, QWF, QDF and AELAQ have always supported the protection of the French language in Quebec and have sought to collaborate with the Francophone arts community in pursuing our many common objectives for the sector whenever possible. To that end, we support the continued collaboration and exchange between English-speaking and Francophone artists in artistic creations that help to build bridges between our linguistic communities. So too do we champion the work – and federal funding — of French-language organizations outside of Quebec to preserve the culture and vitality of their Official Language Minority Communities. 

We firmly believe that the legitimate use of federal OLMC funds to support the English-speaking community – a diverse community with its own unique needs and challenges – in no way undermines these values. Rather, it helps English-speaking Quebecers contribute more fully to the richness and diversity of Quebec and Canada’s cultural landscape.

Écrire l’environnement / Writing the Environment

Posted on by

Pre­sent­ed by the Asso­ci­a­tion of Eng­lish-Lan­guage Pub­lish­ers of Que­bec, this mul­ti-media and dia­log­ic per­for­mance of poet­ry in Eng­lish, French, and trans­la­tion will imag­ine writ­ing the envi­ron­ment. Fea­tur­ing Kaie Kel­lough and Chan­tal Neveu, it will embody lan­guage in its rela­tion to land and space, and reflect on poetry’s rad­i­cal stance towards a sus­tain­able future. This event is curat­ed and host­ed by Klara du Plessis. / Présen­tée par l’Association des édi­teurs de langue anglaise du Québec, cette per­for­mance poé­tique mul­ti­mé­dia, qui se déroulera en anglais et en français, per­me­t­tra d’imaginer com­ment on écrit et décrit l’environnement. Kaie Kel­lough et Chan­tal Neveu exploreront la façon dont le texte incar­ne la langue dans ses rap­ports avec le ter­ri­toire et l’espace. Ils réfléchi­ront aus­si à l’attitude rad­i­cale de la poésie à l’égard d’un avenir durable. Cet événe­ment est conçu et ani­mé par Klara du Plessis.

Visit the official Salon du Livre de Montreal website for more information and the link to purchase tickets.

L’Association des éditeurs de langue anglaise du Québec recherche un(e) coordonnateur(trice) de production bilingue

Posted on by

(English job posting here)

L’Association des éditeurs de langue anglaise du Québec est à la recherche d’un coordonnateur de production bilingue pour contribuer aux opérations et aux projets quotidiens de notre bureau à Montréal. Nous recherchons un candidat possédant une expérience pertinente, capable de mettre les mains à la pâte et de s’engager au succès de l’édition de livres de langue anglaise au Québec ! (L’usage du masculin dans ce document a pour unique but d’alléger le texte.)

À propos de l’Association

Fondée en 1987, l’Association des éditeurs de langue anglaise du Québec (AELAQ, aussi connue sous le nom de l’Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec) est un organisme sans but lucratif qui soutient l’industrie du livre de langue anglaise au Québec.

Nous représentons une communauté dynamique de 31 membres, incluant des éditeurs d’ouvrages académiques et historiques, de romans, de poésie, de romans graphiques et de bandes dessinées, d’ouvrages documentaires et de littérature jeunesse. Nous soutenons et promouvons nos membres par le biais d’une variété d’initiatives et de projets, y compris des séminaires de développement professionnel, notre apport à la défense des intérêts communs, la revue littéraire Montreal Review of Books et une foire annuelle du livre. Nous sommes un affilié régional de l’Association of Canadian Publishers, un réseau national d’associations de soutien et de défense des intérêts des éditeurs canadiens.

Nous sommes une petite équipe, principalement formée de pigistes, actuellement composée de : Rebecca West, directrice générale et éditrice de la Montreal Review of Books, Malcolm Fraser, rédacteur en chef de la Montreal Review of Books, Salena Wiener, coordinatrice intérimaire de la production, David Leblanc, graphiste de la Montreal Review of Books et Michael Wile, ventes publicitaires nationales de la Montreal Review of Books.

Description du poste

Le coordonnateur de la production est responsable des opérations quotidiennes de l’association, ainsi que de la coordination de multiples projets en cours et ad hoc. Il collabore étroitement avec les autres membres de l’équipe et relève du directeur général.

Fonctions et responsabilités

Les tâches du coordonnateur de production incluent, mais ne sont pas limitées à : 

Soutien aux projets

Montreal Review of Books (mRb)

  • Assumer le rôle d’éditeur associé de la mRb en participant aux réunions éditoriales, à la sélection des livres et à la production des événements de lancement
  • Gérer la base de données des abonnés de la mRb, aider à la distribution et à la vente d’annonces publicitaires

Read Quebec

  • Gérer la mise en œuvre et la livraison des articles de blogue et des illustrations pour le site readquebec.ca, en partenariat avec notre réseau de pigistes et le rédacteur en chef adjoint
  • Solliciter des soumissions de livres pour les catalogues de livres numériques saisonniers

Séminaires de développement professionnel

  • Aider à la programmation et à la production d’événements de développement professionnel pour les membres

Holiday Book Fair (Foire de livres Read Québec)

  • Coordonner la logistique avec le local, les éditeurs, les auteurs invités et les conférenciers
  • Aider à l’organisation de la programmation et des événements 
  • Gérer le marketing et la communication pour la foire

Salon du livre de Montréal

  • Aider à la programmation de nos événements au Salon du livre

Soutien opérationnel

Administration

  • S’assurer des relations et de la correspondance avec les membres
  • Comptabilité : entrées de données, facturation, rapports de dépenses
  • Répondre aux courriels et aux appels d’ordre général

Gouvernance et rapports sur les subventions

  • Rédiger des rapports sur les subventions 
  • Compiler et mettre à jour des données pour les rapports statistiques sur les subventions
  • Aider à la préparation des rapports pour les réunions du conseil d’administration et l’assemblée générale annuelle

Communications et marketing

  • Gérer le contenu des sites web aelaq.org et readquebec.ca 
  • Gérer les réseaux sociaux de l’association (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
  • Produire des bulletins d’information 
  • Développer des campagnes publicitaires

À propos du rôle

Expérience

  • Minimum de 2 ans d’expérience en coordination de projet, idéalement dans le secteur culturel ou à but non lucratif
  • Expérience dans la préparation de demandes de subvention
  • Expérience de gestion des médias sociaux

Compétences recherchées

  • Maîtrise de l’anglais et du français, à l’oral et à l’écrit
  • Capacité à gérer avec succès des projets du début à la fin, à respecter les délais et à hiérarchiser des tâches concurrentes
  • Capacité à anticiper proactivement les tâches et à travailler de manière autonome, ainsi qu’au sein d’une équipe 
  • Excellentes compétences en matière de communication et de relations interpersonnelles
  • Connaissance des principes de base de la comptabilité

Connaissances techniques spécialisées

  • Google Workspace Suite (Docs, Spreadsheets, Forms, Analytics)
  • Gestion de contenu Wordpress
  • QuickBooks en ligne
  • Gestion des médias sociaux (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
  • Mailchimp
  • YouTube live-streaming
  • Gestion des réunions Zoom
  • Eventbrite
  • Planable (ou autre logiciel de gestion des médias sociaux)

Expérience et compétences non essentielles, mais utiles

  • Expérience dans la planification d’événements
  • Familiarité avec le domaine éditorial local et national
  • Connaissance des principes de base du marketing et de la communication 
  • Compétences en matière de conception graphique et/ou de développement web
  • Permis de conduire / voiture

Exigences physiques

  • Vous devez être capable de soulever et de déplacer des boîtes de livres et de numéros imprimés du mRb, des bannières et d’autres équipements nécessaires à la production d’événements.

Vous ne répondez pas à tous ces critères ? Nous aimerions tout de même recevoir de vos nouvelles ! Veuillez lire la suite pour savoir comment postuler et nous dire en quoi votre expérience pourrait nous convenir.

Rémunération et horaire

  • Permanent, à temps partiel
  • 3 jours par semaine entre le lundi et le jeudi, selon un horaire régulier qui sera établi au moment de l’embauche
  • Salaire annuel : 26 208 $
  • Disponibilité occasionnelle le soir et le week-end pour les événements de la mRb et la foire du livre

Le coordonnateur de la production travaillera dans nos bureaux de la bibliothèque Atwater. Nous accordons donc la priorité aux candidats basés à Montréal et ses régions avoisinantes. Les candidats doivent être résidents canadiens ou posséder un permis de travail canadien.

Comment postuler

Nous invitons les candidats intéressés à remplir ce formulaire de candidature en ligne avant le 21 juillet 2023. Veuillez noter que le formulaire est en anglais, et que vous devrez vous connecter à un compte Google / Gmail pour le remplir. Si vous n’avez pas de compte Google, vous pouvez en créer un ici.

Pour remplir le formulaire, vous aurez besoin de :

  • vos coordonnées
  • une lettre de motivation à copier-coller 
  • votre CV en format PDF
  • les liens à vos profils sociaux

Nous vous recommandons de rassembler tous ces éléments avant d’entamer le processus de candidature. Veuillez indiquer votre nom dans le nom du fichier de votre CV. N’envoyez pas votre candidature par courriel, et n’envoyez pas de liens vers des documents nécessitant des mots de passe ou des autorisations. 

La date limite pour postuler est le vendredi 21 juillet 2023. Les entrevues auront lieu fin juillet — début août, et le poste débutera en août.

L’AELAQ s’engage à constituer une équipe diversifiée et inclusive. Nous encourageons les candidatures des membres des communautés sous-représentées, y compris des candidats BIPOC, LGBTQ2+, vivant avec un handicap, ou autre. 

Nous remercions tous les candidats de leur intérêt ! Seuls les candidats sélectionnés pour une entrevue seront contactés.

The Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec seeks a Production Coordinator

Posted on by

(En français par ici)

The Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec is seeking a Production Coordinator to contribute to day-to-day operations and projects in our Montreal office. We are looking for a candidate with relevant experience who can roll up their sleeves, get things done, and contribute to the success of English-language book publishing in Quebec!

About Us

Founded in 1987, the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (also known as AELAQ—Association des éditeurs de langue anglaise du Québec) is a non-profit organization that supports Quebec’s English-language book industry. 

We represent a vibrant community of 31 members, including publishers of scholarly and historical works, poetry, fiction, graphic novels and comics, non-fiction, and children’s literature. We support and promote our members through a variety of initiatives and projects, including professional development seminars, advocacy, the Montreal Review of Books, and an annual book fair. We are a regional affiliate of the Association of Canadian Publishers, a national network association of support and advocacy for Canadian publishers.

We are a small, mostly freelance team, currently made up of Rebecca West, Executive Director and Publisher of the Montreal Review of Books, Malcolm Fraser, Montreal Review of Books Editor, Salena Wiener, Interim Production Coordinator, David Leblanc, Montreal Review of Books Graphic Designer and Michael Wile, Montreal Review of Books National Ad Sales

We are also currently seeking candidates for the Montreal Review of Books Associate Editor role. Check out the job listing here!

Job Description

The Production Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the association, as well as coordinating multiple ongoing and ad hoc projects. They collaborate closely with our other team members, and report to the Executive Director. 

Duties and Responsibilities

The Production Coordinator’s tasks include, but are not limited to: 

Project Support

Montreal Review of Books

  • The Production Coordinator assumes the role of Associate Publisher of the mRb — participating in editorial meetings, book selection, and launch event production
  • Managing mRb subscribers database, distribution, and assisting in ad sales

Read Quebec

  • Commissioning blog articles and illustrations in partnership with Associate Editor
  • Soliciting book submissions for seasonal Read Quebec digital book catalogues

Professional development seminars

  • Assisting with programming and production of professional development events for members

Holiday Book Fair

  • Coordinating logistics with the venue, publishers, invited authors and speakers
  • Assisting in the organization of book fair programming and events
  • Managing book fair marketing and communications

Salon du livre

  • Assisting with Salon du livre programming and event production

Operational Support 

Administration

  • Member outreach and correspondence
  • Bookkeeping: journal entries, invoicing, expense reports
  • Responding to general query emails and calls

Governance & Grants Reporting

  • Writing grant reports 
  • Compiling and maintaining data for statistical grant reports
  • Assisting with the preparation of reports for board meetings and the Annual General Meeting

Communications & Marketing

  • Maintaining aelaq.org and readquebec.ca website content 
  • Managing AELAQ social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
  • Producing public and member newsletters 
  • Developing and booking ad campaigns

About the Role

Experience

  • Minimum of 2 years project coordination experience, ideally in the not-for-profit or cultural sector
  • Grant writing experience
  • Social media management experience

Skills

  • Fluency in English and French, spoken and written
  • The ability to successfully manage projects from start to finish, meet deadlines, and prioritize competing tasks
  • The ability to proactively anticipate tasks and work independently, as well as part of a team 
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Familiarity with basic bookkeeping principles

Specialized Tech Knowledge

  • Google Workspace Suite (Docs, Spreadsheets, Forms, Analytics)
  • Wordpress content management
  • QuickBooks Online
  • Social media management (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
  • Mailchimp
  • YouTube live-streaming
  • Zoom meeting management
  • Eventbrite
  • Planable (or other social media management software)

Non-essential but Useful Experience & Skills

  • Event planning experience
  • Knowledge of the local and national publishing landscape
  • Knowledge of basic marketing and communication principles 
  • Skills in graphic design and/or web development
  • Driver’s license / car

Physical Requirements

  • Must be able to lift and move boxes of books, printed issues of the mRb, banners and other equipment needed for launch events.

Don’t quite meet all of these criteria? We still want to hear from you! Please read on for details about how to apply and tell us how your experience would be a good fit.

Compensation and Schedule

  • Permanent, part-time
  • 3 days/week between Monday and Thursday, on a regular schedule to be established upon hiring
  • Annual salary: $26,208 
  • Occasional evening and weekend availability for mRb and book fair events

The Production Coordinator will work out our office in the Atwater Library, so we are prioritizing candidates based in Montreal and surrounding areas. Applicants must be Canadian residents or have a Canadian work permit.

How to Apply

We invite interested applicants to complete an application online using this form by July 21, 2023. Note that you will need to log into a Google / Gmail account in order to complete the form. If you do not have a Google account, you may create one here.

In order to complete the form, you will need:

  • your contact information
  • a cover letter to copy-paste 
  • your CV in PDF form
  • your social profile links

We recommend gathering all of the above before starting the application process. Please include your name in your CV file name. Please do not send your application by email, and don’t send links to documents that require passwords or permissions. 

The deadline to apply is Friday, July 21, 2023. Interviews will take place in late July–early August, and the position begins in August.

AELAQ is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We encourage applications from candidates who are members of underserved and underrepresented communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ2+, people living with dis/ability, and others. 

We thank all applicants for their interest! Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.