Advocacy

Advocacy is an integral part of the ACA’s mission.  The ACA is committed to advocating on behalf of its members on matters affecting archives and records professionals, nationally and internationally. ACA Advocacy is directed and informed by its Advocacy Policy, which can be found here.

The ACA will take leadership on issues of national significance, relating to archives, recordkeeping and cultural heritage. It is committed to working with local and provincial groups on matters impacting regional archives or of concern to specific areas of our membership. Internationally, the ACA shall work with the International Council of Archives and other relevant bodies to represent the causes of archivists around the world.

The ACA invites its members to submit for consideration issues where advocacy and awareness are required here.

The ACA shall do its utmost to ensure the voice of its members is heard and is committed to creating partnerships to affect change for the benefit of its members and society as a whole.

Submissions and Letters

The ACA frequently writes letters and prepares submissions on behalf of its members. These include official communications on matters that affect the Canadian archives and recordkeeping community, including letters written by the President, special reports, and briefs to Parliament on legislation affecting archives.

Below is a selection of submissions and letters written since 2010.

2025

• Letter of concern for the Historical Material of the Hudson's Bay Company addressed to CEO Richard Baker and Alvarez & Marsal Canada Inc, May 2025
  
• Letter "ACA Support of US Archives, Libraries, Museums, & Cultural Institutions," April 2025.
  
• CCA/AAQ/ACA Joint Statement on the value of archives "Archives: Pillars of Information and Heritage." April 2025. English version. French Version.
• Letter to Ministers Anandasangaree and Hadju, expressing concerns about the reports in cuts to funding to support the investigation into missing and children and unmarked burials associated with Indian Residential Schools across Canada. Letter signed by ACA and AAQ, sent 4 March 2025. English version; French version.

2024

• Lettter to Minister Anandasangaree and Minister Hadju, urging the Canadian Government to further support funding the investigation into missing children and unmarked burials associated with Indian Residential Schools across Canada, 31 December 2024.
  
• Letter of opposition to the Hon Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, concerning the proposed Bills 33 and 34 to replace the existing Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act, December 2024.
  
• Letter to the Mayor and Members of Council for the City of Kawartha Lakes, expressing concern over the lack of professional management of the archival records at the Fenelon Falls Museum, November 2024.
  
• Submission made on behalf of the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) in response to the Goverment of Canada's Public Consultation on Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. The Submission has been fully endorsed by l'Association des archivistes du Québec and the ACA, October 2024.
  
• Archival Community Response to the Consultation on Copyright in the age of Generative Artificial Intelligence, January 2024, submitted by the Association of Canadian Archivists and l’Association des archivistes du Québec.

2023

• Endorsement of a letter to the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, Government of Canada, the Attorney General of BC, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General for BC, and the Commissioner, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) calling for RCMP recordkeeping accountability in relation to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people, as outlined in the Forsaken: The Report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry.
• ACA Statement on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
• Letter of Solidarity to the American Library Association in support of their work fighting book bans aimed to suppress LGBTQ2+ and BIPOC authors and literary community members; letter to Canadian Federation of Library Associations proposing joint advocacy efforts of such book bans in Canada or the USA.
• “Ask an Archivist” form added to the ACA website to promote communication between the public and the ACA Board, Committees, Secretariat and our membership.
• Work to promote member input into the redevelopment process of the outdated Museum Policy being undertaken by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

2022

• Promotion of a “Go Fund Me” campaign established to assist an Afghani archivist and his family to settle in Canada.
• Worked in conjunction with the Galt Museum & Archives to fundraise in support of the Ukraine’s damaged archives.
• Endorsement for the Reconciliation Framework as produced by the SCCA’s Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce.

2021

• Promotion of member input and promotion of archival interests in the New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO) Virtual Town Halls.
• Promotion of a “Go Fund Me” Campaign established to assist Canadian archivist Melanie Delva and her family rebuild after losing their home in the Lytton Fire of June 30, 2021.
• “Raise an Issue” form added to the ACA website to promote communication of specific advocacy, outreach, and/or awareness issues to the ACA Board, committees, secretariat, and our membership.
• Letter of Support to the Canadian History Association’s released statement regarding the use of the word “genocide” when speaking of the history of violence against Indigenous peoples in Canada.
• Support to the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU) Archives and its staff in the face of abrupt staff layoffs.
• Issued a joint response with CCA and AAQ on “A Consultation on a Modern Copyright Framework for Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things.”

2020

• Call on the Government of Canada, industry and institutions to use their positions of leadership to properly document decisions, preserve decisions and the data, and ensure the long-term preservation and access for future members of society, about the Covid-19 pandemic (with AAQ).
• ACA Board endorsed the International Council on Archives (ICA) declaration, Tandanya – Adelaide Declaration: Challenging and Decolonising the Archive.

2019

• Statement on the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (July 10)

• Communiqué Canadian Council of Archives, l’Association des archivistes du Québec, Association of Canadian Archivists Canadian Archivists Applaud the INDU report on the Statutory Review of the Copyright Act Ottawa (July 19)

2018

• Review of "Towards Privacy by Design: Review of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Document Act," letter to Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (Canada) (June)

2017

• Consultation request of the UBC School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (Jan 24)

2016

• Musée de la Civilization (letter to M. La Roche) (June 7)
  
• City of Winnipeg Archives Building (letter to Candidates of the City of Winnipeg municipal election) (October 23)

2015

• Parksville Archives (March 24)
  
• BC Government Transfer of Records (May 5) 
• City of Winnipeg Archives Building (May 25)

2014

• Minister of Canadian Heritage - Budget (February 27)
• Dr. Guy Berthiaume, New Library and Archivist of Canada (April 14)
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian Residential Schools (June 23)
• Bill C-626 - Act to amend Statistics Act (December 2)

2013

• Library and Archives Canada Code of Conduct (March 18)
• LAC Code of Conduct (AAQ-ACA-CHA)
• Appointment of next Librarian and Archivist of Canada (May 16)
• NADP Programme (June 19)

2012

• National Archival Development Program (NADP) Elimination (May 9)
• Archival positions loss - Library and Archives Canada (May 9)
• Pan Canadian Documentary Heritage Network Forum - Library and Archives Canada (March 31)
• Georgia State Archives (September 16)
• Canada's 150th (October 19)
• Pan Canadian Documentary Heritage Network Forum (December 12)

2011

• Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security in Budapest (February 24)
• Position on the 2011 Census (March)
• Bill C-19 - Long gun registry (November 8)

2010

• Letter to the Editor - Catholic Church Reluctant to Release Residential Schools Records (April 6)
• Elimination of long form census (July 12)