CFLA-FCAB submitted a brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance for the 2026 Federal Budget, in support of the recommendations of the Canadian Urban Libraries Council and Canadian Association of Research Libraries:
- That the Government of Canada build stronger communities and protect democracy by investing $2M annually to create a fund that will support Canada's libraries to design and deliver learning tools and programs through libraries on digital and AI literacy, identifying misinformation, and avoiding online harms.
- That the Government of Canada make the Equitable Access to Reading Program permanent, indexed to the cost of living, and sufficiently flexible to fund the full equitable reading lifecycle through organizations with demonstrated national capacity, including CELA, NNELS, and other accessible reading service providers.
- That the Government of Canada create an Equitable Access Fund to support libraries in promoting understanding of intellectual freedom, protecting patron privacy, maintaining local collections, and responding to censorship pressures.
- That the Government of Canada support the report of the External Advisory Panel on the Creation and Dissemination of Scientific Information in French by investing $40 Million per year into a new Research in French Support and Promotion Fund (RFSPF) and assure that libraries are recognized as integral players in the dissemination infrastructure and in knowledge promotion.
- That the Government of Canada invest $7M over three years through the Tri-Agency and the Research Support Fund to enable Canadian research libraries to build the repository infrastructure and researcher support services required for successful implementation of the revised Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications.
- That the Government of Canada continue to recognize, support and appropriately invest in Libraries and Archives Canada so that it can fulfill its vital role and obligations in preserving Canada’s documentary and cultural heritage, providing accessible knowledge, and serving as the enduring memory of the federal government.