BOOKS BANNED - CANADA
Image Credit: Erman Gunes via Shuterstock
In Canada, book banning escalated significantly in 2025. PEN Canada has been actively campaigning against this disturbing trend. For example, in June 2025 the PEN Centre issued a statement unequivocally condemning the Alberta government’s decision to pursue policies likely to lead to widespread book bans in the province’s schools, among other public actions.
The data presented below on challenges to the availability of books in libraries are drawn from the Canadian Library Challenges Database.1 At least 265 complaints, often with multiple complaints about individual titles, including some widely regarded as classics, were made about books in 2025. These resulted in removals or relocations of at least 56 titles, from shelves in school and public libraries. The most frequently cited ground, ‘Explicit Content‘, alone accounts for 164 of the complaints, far exceeding any other category. When coupled with the categories of ‘Age Inappropriate‘ and ‘Objectionable Content‘, this indicates that complaints primarily focus on depictions of sexuality, the body, sex education, or intimate relationships on the grounds of their alleged unsuitability for minors, particularly in school settings or public libraries.
There is another cluster of challenges linked to contemporary debates around identity, diversity, and human rights, including against books dealing with sexual orientation and gender identity — including Pro-LGBTQIA2S+ content, alongside transphobic objections. Eighteen of the titles involved related to race, Indigenous Peoples, religion, or international political conflicts, suggesting that objections are also triggered by content perceived as politically or ideologically sensitive.
Most complaints were lodged in the province of Alberta (167), followed by Ontario (46) and British Columbia (33), affecting 85, 35 and 17 titles respectively. The list of challenged works shows that censorship affects young adult literature, graphic novels, manga, illustrated memoirs, educational materials on sexuality, classic works, and politically engaged writing alike. Widely recognised authors also appear among the challenged titles — including contemporary classics, dystopian fiction, award-winning novels, and works addressing historical or international conflicts — indicating that challenges are not limited to marginal publications but extend to globally circulated titles. This pattern suggests that current disputes over library materials in Canada reflect a worrying spread of broader cultural tensions concerning education, historical memory, identity, and social values.
Source: The Canadian Library Challenges Database | Centre for Free Expression
Books removed or relocated from school or public library shelves
Home after dark, Jason Aaron; A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, Vol. One, Daniel Abraham; 9, Shane Acker; Dreamer, Akim Aliu; Epileptic, David B.; Fun Home, Alison Bechdel; Fun House, Alison Bechdel; Be Gay, Do Comics, Matt Bors; David Boring, Daniel Clowes; Flamer, Mike Curato; L’Étranger (graphic adaptation), Jacques Ferrandez; Chainsaw Man, Vol. VII, Tatsuki Fujimoto; American Gods, Vol. I: Shadows, Neil Gaiman; Cartooning: The Art and the Business, Mort Gerberg; Lighter Than My Shadow, Katie Green; Claim to Fame, Margaret Peterson Haddix; Milk and Honey, Rupi Kaur; Dark Tower Beginnings, Vol. IV: Fall of Gilead, Stephen King; An Inconvenient Indian, Thomas King; Borders, Thomas King; Medicine River, Thomas King; Gender Queer, Maia Kobabe; Andy Warhol, Isabel Kuhl; Monstress, Vol. VI: The Vow, Marjorie Liu; A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas; Camus for Beginners / Introducing Camus, David Zane Mairowitz & Alain Korkos; A Blue Is the Warmest Color, Jul Maroh; A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, George R. R. Martin; Frank Miller’s Sin City, Vol. II: A Dame to Kill For, Frank Miller; Berserk, Vol. III, Kentaro Miura; George Orwell’s 1984: The Graphic Novel, Matyáš Namai; Death to the Tsar, Fabien Nury; Artemis: Wild Goddess of the Hunt, George O’Connor; Firefly (Vol. I–II), Greg Pak; Juliet Takes a Breath, Gaby Rivera; Alice in the Country of Clover, QuinRose; Black Bird (Vol. I–XIV, XVIII), Kanoko Sakurakoji; Age of Bronze (Vol. I–III), Eric Shanower; Home After Dark, David Small; Lore Olympus, Vol. I, Rachel Smythe; Introducing the Enlightenment, Lloyd Spencer & Andrzej Krauze; Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&!**, Art Spiegelman; Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda, Jean-Philippe Stassen; ; Boundless, Jillian Tamaki; Choosing to Live, Choosing to Die: The Complexities of Assisted Dying, Nikki Tate; Blankets, Craig Thompson; Black Knight 2, Kai Tsurugi; Johnny the Walrus, Matt Walsh; Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros.