THORNHILL, Ontario, November 12, 2009 - On behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, the Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas) and Member of Parliament (Thornhill), today announced funding for RK Publishing Inc.
"Our Government is proud to have renewed for five years its support program for the Canadian book publishing industry," said Minister Moore. "This will ensure that Canadians continue to have access to a wide variety of Canadian-authored books, including those that help them learn about the history, the culture, and the languages of their country."
"For the past eight years, RK Publishing has strived to provide Canadian teachers with the best possible resources to use in their French classes," said Minister Kent. "This funding will help the publisher to produce and promote books that help students to succeed in learning French and to see the rich rewards of learning about Francophone cultures."
"Through its contributions to RK Publishing, the Government of Canada has helped to offer Canadian students a new approach to learning French," said Ruby Kaplan, President of RK Publishing. "Given how important bilingualism is for our country, funding invested to provide teachers with a wider choice of French as a second language resources is money well invested. Moreover, it promotes and emphasizes the importance of the French language and culture."
The Government of Canada has provided funding of $115,321 under the Aid to Publishers component of the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP). As part of its renewal, BPIDP has been streamlined and renamed the Canada Book Fund to reflect the evolution of its role from being the supporter of a developing industry to reinforcing a mature industry that brings Canadian books to readers everywhere. Next year's contributions will be provided through the Canada Book Fund.
Deirdra McCracken
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and
Official Languages
819-997-7788
deirdra.mccracken@pch.gc.ca
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca
