History Matters by Canadian Institute for Historical Education Richard Stursberg on the ‘Collapse’ of Canadian Book Publishing
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Mar 26, 2026 
Richard Stursberg, writer and former media executive (CBC, Telefilm Canada), reflects on the rise and dramatic decline of English-Canadian book publishing. He recounts the 1960s–90s literary flowering, policy failures that let multinationals dominate, contrasts English and French markets, and discusses policy ideas and hopeful signs for rebuilding a national publishing ecosystem.
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Perilous Trade Is The Foundational Publishing History
- Roy MacSkimming's Perilous Trade is the foundational history of English-Canadian publishing and helped Stursberg while writing his book.
- Stursberg recounts a personal high-school anecdote where he recited a poem Roy wrote to surprise him at the book launch.
Policy Failure Made Publishing Vulnerable
- Government cultural protection worked in broadcasting but failed for book publishing because foreign-ownership rules were applied secretively under the Foreign Investment Review Act.
- Stursberg contrasts effective Canadian ownership rules in broadcasting with opaque, unsuccessful protections for publishers.
Takeovers Plus Frozen Subsidies Crushed Indies
- From the 1990s onward multinationals bought Canadian houses while public subsidies froze, turning supports into a shrinking zero-sum game for Canadian publishers.
- Stursberg describes takeovers, reduced funding, and publishers competing for contracting subsidy pools as central to the decline.
