CCLA Doubles Down on its Criticism of Alberta’s Book Ban

Alberta’s Minister of Education and Childcare recently issued a ministerial order requiring all school libraries in the province to ban books depicting—including in writing—“explicit sexual content.” School libraries must also ensure that books depicting “non-explicit sexual content” are unavailable to students below Grade 10.

On July 29, 2025, CCLA’s Executive Director and Fundamental Freedoms Director published an op-ed in the Edmonton Journal calling out this ministerial order for what it is: a book ban, a particularly harmful form of censorship.

We gave examples of what this book ban could mean—including banning classics such as George Orwell’s 1984 and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale from all school libraries for all students of ages six to 18.

We also acknowledged the importance of reflecting on the effects of youth’s exposure to sexual content but argued that this type of exercise should be left to librarians, educators, parents and, to some extent, students themselves. Standardized government prohibitions, on the contrary, end this vital conversation before it even begins, just like banning a book based on a few excerpts ignores all the other valuable lessons that students could have learned from reading it.

On August 9, the Minister responded to our position through an op-ed of his own. He accused us of mischaracterizing his ministerial order and spreading false narratives.

On August 14, we sent a letter directly to the Minister to set the record straight and double down on our criticism of his book ban. You can find our letter here.

The CCLA will continue to defend the importance of students having easy, free access to books that might answer their questions, challenge them, and encourage critical thinking. Clearly, not all sexual content is appropriate for students of every age, but a sweeping ban is not the answer.

This is no small issue, as a thriving democracy requires an informed and engaged population—people who have been and continue to be exposed to diverse ideas that provoke debate and enhance understanding.