OTTAWA: On June 3, 2010, The Writers’ Union of Canada will celebrate 25 of its former Chairs, including some of Canada’s most famous authors, at its annual meeting in Ottawa, but without the presence of the Minister of Canadian Heritage James Moore. The Minister has declined to attend, claiming previous engagements despite earlier indications by his staff that his schedule was undetermined.

“We are disappointed that the Minister has sidestepped this important event,” said Erna Paris, Chair of The Union. “His decision not to meet with Canada’s authors, as they await new copyright legislation that may affect their ability to earn a living in the digital age, suggests a devaluing of the culture side of his portfolio,” said Paris. “We hoped that the Minister would acknowledge the important contribution Canada’s writers make to our country, both culturally and economically,” she added.

The gathering of past chairs at Library and Archives Canada is open to the public and launches this year’s annual meeting. Hal Wake, the Artistic Director of the Vancouver International Writers Festival, will speak on “The Flowering of CanLit: Can We Keep the Bloom on the Rose?” charting the flowering of Canadian literature from the Massey Report of the 1950s to today's bestseller lists.

The Writers' Union of Canada is a national body representing 1,900 professional authors across the country. Founded in 1973, the Union is dedicated to fostering writing in Canada and protecting freedom of speech, as well as promoting the rights, freedoms, and economic wellbeing of all writers. For more information, please visit www.writersunion.ca.

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For additional information
Deborah Windsor, Executive Director
The Writers’ Union of Canada
416. 703.8982 Ext. 221
dwindsor@writersunion.ca