Group reinstates Legault's book picks after censorship spat

Quebec Premier François Legault said Monday he is relieved after a booksellers association apologized for removing an online list of his reading recommendations.

Legault shared some of his favourite books during a Facebook live video last week as part of a campaign by the Association des libraires du Québec.

While Legault's video remained online, the association said it removed posts detailing the premier's book list on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter on Friday.

“Seeing the flood of comments last week, I, too, quickly made the decision to remove certain posts from the association's social media profiles. I now realize that this was an error and apologize,” ALQ director Katherine Fafard said in a statement.

“My intention was never to hurt anyone or censor anything because that goes against the fundamental values of the association and our commitment to freedom of expression.”

Fafard did not say which of Legault's recommendations drew the comments.

The premier's list of 11 books included “Kukum” by Michel Jean, Dany Laferrière's “L'enigme du retour,” and “L'empire du politiquement correct” by Mathieu BockCôté, a conservative author and columnist. On Sunday, Bock-côté accused the association of censoring Legault “because it doesn't like his stance on systemic racism and his book recommendations.”

Legault said Monday he was relieved to see his list was back online. “We cannot accept a handful of radical activists trampling on our freedom of expression to defend their diktats. That goes way too far,” Legault wrote on Facebook.