Intellectual Freedom

More on our initiatives for
Promoting Libraries & Intellectual Freedom

Intellectual freedom is the right of all people to hold and express opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Intellectual freedom is recognized by the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19, as a basic human right.

Featured Blog Events
Blog February 3, 2026

Celebrating the People and Practices That Sustain Intellectual Freedom

Freedom to Read Week 2026 (February 22–28) is an occasion for reflection and for recognition at a time of increased demands for censorship. Across Canada, library leadership, librarians, paraprofessional staff, and library trustees have spent the past year doing the essential work that intellectual freedom depends on—often under scrutiny, and always in service of the public good.
Toni Samek
Intellectual Freedom
Blog January 13, 2026

When Ministerial Orders Shape What Students Can Read

In May 2025, Alberta’s Minister of Education issued Ministerial Order 030/2025, setting province-wide rules governing access to literary materials in K–12 schools. While presented as a child-protection measure, a subsequent clarification made clear that the order applies not only to school libraries, but to entire school environments—including classrooms, supplementary reading, and voluntary access spaces.
Toni Samek
Intellectual Freedom, Censorship
Blog October 14, 2025

Librarians Are My Heroes

On October 8th, in the middle of Banned Book Week, I had the privilege of seeing the documentary film, The Librarians, and then moderating a panel discussion with the filmmaker Kim A. Snyder and two remarkable women, Courtney Gore and Becky Calzada who are featured in the film.
Danielle S. McLaughlin
Intellectual Freedom
News September 4, 2025

Shannon Moore Joins CFE Working Group on Schools and Intellectual Freedom

Shannon D. M. Moore, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba, is joining the Centre for Free Expression (CFE) Working Group on Schools and Intellectual Freedom.“Shannon’s work both as an academic researcher and as a teacher in the public school system will be a valuable addition to the group which helps guide CFE’s work in defending and promoting intellectual freedom in schools.”
Intellectual Freedom