HomeThe Impact of the Massey Commission: CanLit and Canadian Publishing

The Impact of the Massey Commission: CanLit and Canadian Publishing

 By Sarah Potts

Where We've Come From 

To initiate this conversation, I must ask: when was the last time you read a book by a Canadian author? Was it produced by a Canadian publisher or an external one? When I asked my friends, the most common answer was: "No, I have not read any Canadian content lately." From memory, the last book I read by a Canadian author was by the late Ojibway author, Richard Wagamese titled Medicine Walk. In this case, the book was produced by a Canadian author and published by a Canadian publishing group, McClelland and Stewart.

 Medicine Walks

One of the lucky ones: throughout his life, Wagamese had the continual support of McClelland and Stewart. Image Couresty of GoodMinds Books Brantford

What inspired me to look at the status of Canadian publishing and CanLit in the late 20th and  21st century was my friend's response to my question; they did not see these concepts as separate. The issue at hand was that Canadian publishing, as a sector, can often be overshadowed by our neighbours to the south and British sources (Mount, 2017). Most often, Canadian publishers focus on the local, and then extend into the international field; for instance, Talonbooks from British Columbia tends to see their business as a service to the community and second as a profitable institution (Scherf, 2000). The other issue faced by Canadian publishing, and as an extension, CanLit (more on that later) is its survival; confronted by the overshadowing of different industries and the invention of e-publishing more recently, Canadian publishing relies on the government to survive, in fact, I argue that it was legislated into existence. For the community to survive, it has sought continual funding and support from government sources whether it be in the form of money or legislative councils or Royal Commissions to remind people the field and its subject (CanLit) still exist (Woodcock, 1977). The first, notable instance where government intervention leads to a revival of CanLit and CanPublishing in the 20th century was through The Massey Commission, produced in 1950.

The Man of the Hour: Vincent Massey and his Royal Commission

Vincent Massey Profile 

File Photo: Northumberland News 2012

The Massey Commission was born out of a desire for Canadian’s to have a greater sense of identity, and knowledge of what makes Canada, “Canada” (Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences, 1951). What the report sought to do for the publishing business in Canada, and for the “literary arts” was to engage Canadians, and help them define what the country in the arts stood for, what it meant (Royal Commission, 1951). What the report wanted to do for publishing was to ensure the future of the traditional Canadian and create a space for these institutions; explain what needed to come from the Canadian government to ensure they stayed in Canadian hands and not be handed over to American conglomerates. Massey took issue with how Canada and its identity were being presented to the world. After its release, a boom in CanCulture and CanLit emerged as a result of it; with the production of new funding and the Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian authors were given a chance.  The Massey Commission engaged the government in a discussion of who will fund CanLit and the publishing industry, with emphasis on policy to ensure their continued survival in a globalised world. 

What now? Canadian Publishing Today.

Canadian publishing is still very much is about supporting Canadian authors and Canadian content; thanks to the continual support of the government or other private sources, publishing houses such as McClelland and Stewart, now under the banner of University of Toronto press, continue to fight for Canadian authors texts to be recognised and read by all (Scherf, 2000). Through publishing, Canada and its values were given what some called “a clear-eyed view” of what it meant to be Canadian to the world, and most importantly, to itself (MacSkimming, 2012). Canadian Publishing, or what I like to call CanPublishing is fragile but surviving thanks to a willingness from Canadians and Canadian writers to continue to provide quality Canadian content. In fact, as Nick Mount, a professor of Canadian Literature suggests, publishing and Canadian literature go hand-in-hand because one cannot exist without the other (Mount, 2017). Authors like Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro exist merely because Canadian publishing was given a boost in the 1960s; Atwood still publishes with Canadian publishing groups, like McClelland and Stewart as seen by the covers of her books. Canadian publishing is at an impasse: The Investment' Act no longer functions as it should; McClelland and Stewart are now German-owned, and there has been a great reduction in the number of Canadian-owned and operated publishing houses (Dewar 2017). As much as the 1960s boom will never happen, something again must be done. On the back of the Canada 150 hype, the current government and its subsidiaries like the Canada Council for the Arts must make an informed decision about how to protect CanLit and Publishing and encourage a reinvigorated CanLit and Publishing scene to emerge. More on CanLit and publishing: 

For more information CanLit and publishing: