Advocacy

April 7, 2021: Thanks to all who attended our recent information sessions for libraries and our users. Recordings and transcripts are now available for those who were not able to join us.
User and stakeholder meeting recording and transcript
Library meeting recording and transcript
New letters which reflect the current call for longer term funding are now for users, libraries and partners to send to their MPs. If you have previously sent letters, please consider thanking your MP for the funding reprieve and letting them know how important sustained funding is for accessible book production.
If you would like to stay up to date, please consider subscribing to our newsletters for users and libraries, and watch this page as well as our Twitter and Facebook streams.
March 16, 2021: On March 16, Minister Qualtrough released a statement restoring $1 million in funding for accessible reading materials for the upcoming 2021-2022 budget year. This reprieve means that there will not be cuts to funding to CELA services, for this year. Federal funding is not assured for future years.
So what's next? Join CELA and NNELS for an information session on Tuesday, March 30 to learn more about the current situation and our plan going forward.
For general information: 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT. Please register to receive a link.
For libraries: 3:00 pm ET/12 noon PT. Please register to receive a link for the meeting for libraries.
As a reader and lover of books, you know that access to new information and ideas is crucial to education, to employment and even to your opportunities to connect socially with your community. And yet fewer than 1 in 10 books are available in accessible formats for those with print disabilities.
And now, your access to reading materials could be restricted due to cuts in the funding that supports CELA’s development and distribution of accessible books.
The federal government’s 2020 Fall Economic Statement (FES) included an announcement that our current annual funding of $3 million will be reduced by 25% annually before ending entirely in 2024-2025. Our colleagues at NNELS (National Network for Equitable Library Service) are also facing 25% cuts to their funding.
The decision to terminate funding was made without consultation or advance warning and will have a devastating impact on CELA’s ability to produce new books for our collection and distribute materials including audio CDs and physical braille to our users.
Our users could see an immediate reduction in our services if full funding is not restored.
Along with our colleagues at NNELS, we are actively engaging with the federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, the Hon. Carla Qualtrough, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. Chrystia Freeland, and key opposition Members of Parliament in an effort to have funding restored.
But it is now clear that we need YOUR help! We only have a few weeks to influence the federal budget process.
ALT Text: The graphic is cut in half. On the right is an image of 3 shelves of books. At the center of the middle shelf a book is missing creating a black hole. On the left is the following text: Fewer than 1 in 10 books in Canada are published in accessible formats for people with print disabilities. And the Government of Canada is cutting the funding that supports their production. Accessible Books Matter. Visit celalibrary.ca or nnels.ca for info. At the bottom in a red bar is white text which reads Help us stop the cuts!
And the Government of Canada is cutting the funding that supports their production.
ALT Text: The graphic is cut in half. On the right is an image of 3 shelves of books. At the center of the middle shelf a book is missing creating a black hole. On the left is the following text: Accessible Books Matter for education, for employment, for equity and inclusion. And the Government of Canada is cutting the funding that supports their production. Accessible Books Matter. Visit nnels.ca or celalibrary.ca for info. At the bottom in a red bar is white text which reads Help us stop the cuts!
ALT Text: The graphic is cut in half. On the right is an image of 3 shelves of books. At the center of the middle shelf a book is missing creating a black hole. On the left is the following text: Fewer than 1 in 10 books in Canada are published in accessible formats for people with print disabilities. And the Government of Canada is cutting the funding that supports their production. Accessible Books Matter. Visit celalibrary.ca or nnels.ca for info. At the bottom in a red bar is white text which reads Help us stop the cuts!
ALT Text: The graphic is cut in half. On the right is an image of 3 shelves of books. At the center of the middle shelf a book is missing creating a black hole. On the left is the following text: The Government of Canada promotes equity and inclusion for people with disabilities. And the Government of Canada is cutting the funding that supports their production. Accessible Books Matter. Visit nnels.ca or celalibrary.ca for info. At the bottom in a red bar is white text which reads Help us stop the cuts!
You can find your Member of Parliament’s contact information using this link to the House of Commons website.
Email, phone and address information can all be found at the above link using your postal code or your Member of Parliament’s name.
Remember that any letters you send via Canada Post can be sent to MPs without postage.
You can also email your comments to your MP, or call their office to register your concerns.
Whether writing a letter or calling your MP, the most important thing your representative needs to hear is how important accessible books and CELA services are to you. Plan to share how accessible reading materials impact your life, your studies, your work, and your health. Heartfelt statements are very persuasive. Consider writing about how accessible reading materials impacts your:
Some suggested sentence starters:
We’ve also included some facts and points to help you make your case.
Yes. The federal government is currently drafting the budget which is expected to be released in late March. We would appreciate letters being sent by mid-March.
You can find your MP and their contact information here.
The federal minsters responsible for this decision are:
House of Commons, Confederation Building - Room 707
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: 613-992-2957
Fax: 613-992-3589
Email: Carla.Qualtrough@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1A 0A6
Telephone: 613-992-5234
Fax: 613-996-9607
Email: Chrystia.Freeland@parl.gc.ca
You can find more information on our About us page. We’ve also put together some interesting facts about CELA you can use in your communications.
There will be an immediate impact on our ability to produce and distribute physical materials including audio CDs and physical braille. Users may face immediate restrictions on the amount of reading material they could receive.
Funding cuts will also impact our ability to produce books for our collection, reducing choice and access to new reading materials for all our users whether they access physical or digital materials.
We believe it is essential that CELA and NNELS speak together on behalf of all those with print disabilities to persuade the federal government to restore funding.