15/09/2025
Comics are under attack in Canada. We cannot stay silent.
Right now, bestselling, award-winning, and life-affirming comics—including Mike Curato’s Flamer, Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper, and the graphic novel adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale are under threat of censorship in schools by the Alberta government.
This isn’t new. Comics have been targeted in schools and libraries for over a century. What’s different today is the intensity of the attack, especially on stories created by and for 2SLGBTQI+ and BIPOC communities.
These books are being removed from shelves not because they lack educational and artistic value, but because they dare to show young people that their lives, their families, and their love matter.
For young readers, finding themselves in a story can mean the difference between isolation and belonging, between shame and survival. Taking these books away is an attempt to erase entire communities, telling them that they shouldn’t be seen or heard in Alberta schools.
The people of Alberta don’t want this censorship. The government’s own survey found that 68% of Albertans believe decisions about what’s age-appropriate should be made by librarians, teachers, and schools—not politicians.
Despite this, the Government of Alberta plans to move ahead with a ministerial order to censor school library collections. This ignores the evidence, disregards parents’ voices, and undermines the role of educators.
As one of the largest independent comic arts festivals in the world, the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) knows firsthand the power of comics to change lives. Every year we welcome more than 28,000 people who come together to celebrate the creativity and diversity of this medium. We cannot stand by while governments and school boards strip these stories from bookshelves.
This fight is about the freedom to read. It’s about whose stories we allow to be told, and whose stories we try to silence.
We are asking you—our friends, supporters, creators, and readers—to act now:
There are many ways to take action:
đź“Ł Speak out on social media. Tag the Alberta government.
đź“Ł Share this message via your professional networks or newsletters.
📣 Tell your friends, fellow readers, and creators—spread the word in your communities.
đź“Ł Share initiatives by author-led organizations such as Authors Against Book Bans.
đź“Ł Follow Canadian & North American intellectual freedom organizations working to fight back against comic book bans such as the CLLDF, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Unite Against Book Bans, PEN Canada, PEN America, Centre for Free Expression, Freedom to Read Foundation and others.
đź“Ł Write to your MPs, MLAs, and school board representatives stating your opposition.
📣 If you’re a comics creator, give interviews to news outlets or write an op-ed, especially if your book has appeared on a banned / challenged / “not recommended" list. Or even better, make a comic about it!
đź“Ł Support your local comic shop, your local comic festival, and your local comic creators! Buy more comics!
Censorship thrives on silence. Let’s make noise. Let’s make sure every young person sees themselves reflected on the shelf, and knows their story belongs.
With urgency and solidarity,
Amie Wright, Executive Director, Toronto Comic Arts Festival
Peter Birkemoe, Owner, The Beguiling Books & Art
Toronto Comic Arts Festival, Board and Team
Read our full statement on the TCAF website: https://www.torontocomics.com/post/comics-are-under-attack-in-canada-we-cannot-stay-silent
