CAA Objectives and History

CAA Objectives - CAA History - CAA Achievements

CAA Objectives

The Association was founded to promote recognition of Canadian writers and their works, and to foster and develop a climate favourable to the creative arts. Its objectives:

To work for the encouragement and protection of writers.
To speak for writers before government and other inquiries.
To sponsor awards and otherwise encourage work of literary and artistic merit.
To publish National Newsline, The Canadian Writer’s Guide and other publications designed to improve the professionalism of Canadian writers.

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CAA History

The Canadian Authors Association is this country’s national association for writers of every kind, for those actively seeking to become writers and for those who want to support writers. Founded in Montreal in 1921 the Association is incorporated under federal charter.

Some 25,000 writers have been members including, in the early days, Stephen Leacock, Bliss Carman, Robert W. Service, Ralph Connor, E.J. Pratt, Mazo de la Roche and Sir Charles G. D. Roberts.

The Canadian Authors Association is affiliated with La Société des écrivains canadiens.

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Some CAA Achievements

The Canadian Authors Association has fought since 1921 to improve copyright protection for Canadian writers. It was instrumental in 1924 legislation. It began pressing for a new Copyright Act in the 1980’s, and is a charter member of the Canadian Copyright Institute (now Access Copyright).

In 1946, the Canadian Authors Association began a campaign to bring a Public Lending Right program to Canadian authors. Other Canadian writing groups joined the campaign, and the PLR program was finally created in 1986. Payments to authors began in 1987. The Canadian Authors Association is represented on the Executive Committee of the PLR.

The Association has presented briefs to Royal Commissions and other parliamentary bodies on behalf of Canadian Writers.

The Canadian Authors Association founded the Governor General’s Literary Awards in 1936, and turned them over to the Canada Council after it was created in the late 1950’s. In 1973 it was felt that the Governor General’s Awards failed to recognize books of popular appeal as well as literary merit, and with Harlequin’s support a new Literary Awards program was initiated.

In 1995, the Canadian Authors Association transferred to Simon Fraser University the Association’s archival collection of books, which had been maintained since 1986 as the Lionel M. Gelber Canadian Research Library.

Other History Resources

CAA History Brochure

A CAA brochure is available related to this history of the CAA.

Goodbye to Dr. Donald W. Thomson

Goodbye to Dr. Donald W. Thomson - an obituary for this long-time member that passed away on January 9, 2001. The contributions made to Canadian writing and to the CAA by Dr. Thompson speak loudly to the contributions that individuals have made to the CAA in its long history.

Syllables of Recorded Time

Syllables of Recorded Time (The Story of the Canadian Authors Association 1921-1981) by Lyn Harrington, 1981. ISBN 0-88924-112-0. There is much about CAA history in this wonderful book.

While currently out of print, this volume should be available in libraries and in the collections of CAA branches. It is also available to our members as a PDF in the CAA Members Area.

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