Launch of the collaborative book “Le mouvement Wikimédia au Canada” and the Francophone Postsecondary Wikimedia Network of Canada
On April 14th, the kick-off activities for the Francophone Postsecondary Wikimedia Network of Canada were held at the University of Québec in Montréal. To mark the day, Acfas, supported by Wikimedia Canada, held a discussion and brainstorming workshop, a roundtable, and a social activity to launch the collectively written book Le mouvement Wikimédia au Canada : communautés, institutions et culture libre. About 60 people participated, coming from a variety of backgrounds : colleges, CEGEPs, and university professors, librarians, researchers, editors of scholarly journals, and representatives from organizations working in the field of free knowledge, and heritage and memory institutions.
Network overview
The task at hand that day was to imagine the creation and implementation of a network of postsecondary institutions dedicated to free, open culture, and to the vitality of French-speaking cultures in the country, through Wikimedia projects : Wikipedia, Wikidata, Commons, Wikisource, Wikibooks, etc. Underlying this reflexive task was the following goal: creating an opportunity for exchange, collaboration, training, and sharing of expertise to promote, in French, the teaching (open education) and research (open science) mission of Canada’s francophone institutions. This first objective was to be accompanied by secondary ones, such as improving the discovery of scientific content in French online, promoting the diversity of Canadian Francophone culture, in general online, promoting the French language and multilingualism online, and working together with organizations and networks that share the same values.
The first part of the day consisted of a workshop in groups of four to five people, who were invited to reflect and discuss a number of questions related to the conditions conducive to setting up a university and research network around Wikimedia projects. Each of the six groups, under the supervision of a rapporteur, was asked to give their opinion on the proposed objectives for the network, on possible links with the values and missions of their organization, and on the needs that such a network could help to meet. Subsequently, based on the needs identified, each team came up with activities that could meet these needs. For each of the discussion sections, ideas were gathered on post-it notes, becoming a seedbed of ideas that the organizers (Acfas and Wikimedia Canada) took away with them.
A small committee of authors of the book Le mouvement Wikimédia au Canada: communautés, institutions et culture libre, namely Nathalie Thibault, Marie D. Martel, Miguel Tremblay, and Nathalie Casemajor, gathered to discuss the book and future of the Wiki movement in Canada with Micheal David Miller, who moderated the event.
About the book
The day ended with the official launch of the book Le mouvement Wikimédia au Canada: communautés, institutions et culture libre. This collective work, edited by Jean-Michel Lapointe and Marie D. Martel, brings together authors from coast to coast to tell the story of how the ideals of sharing, openness, and collaboration are taking root in Canada. First, we discover how certain Canadian communities (Acadians, Atikamekw) are making their way into the encyclopedia and the identity issues they face, before exploring the gender gap in Wikidata. In the second part, we are presented with inspiring examples of institutional partnerships, demonstrating that wiki projects have the potential to promote our heritage. Finally, we discuss the positive impact that contributing to Wikipedia can have on people, sharpening their critical eye, strengthening their digital skills, or even awakening their musical curiosity.
As we read on, we encounter long-time contributors, passionate librarians, academics, open data specialists – a whole mosaic of people and expertise that represents the richness and strengths of our Wikimedia ecosystem.
Want to know more? The book is available for free on the Presses de l’Université de Montréal website: https://pum.umontreal.ca/catalogue/le_mouvement_wikimedia_au_canada/
Happy reading!
The future of the movement
The publication of this book, like the communities that gathered for the launch event, is a testament to the vitality and diversity of the Wikimedia movement in Canada.
On April 14, 2025, those gathered at UQAM expressed a shared enthusiasm and a deep desire to make Wikimedia projects powerful vehicles for disseminating knowledge related to Canadian realities. Many of them also identified real opportunities for their home institutions to become more involved and strengthen their ties with the movement.
In this exciting context, the creation of the Réseau Wikimédia collégial et universitaire francophone du Canada (Francophone Postsecondary Wikimedia Network of Canada), which is expected to be formalized in the spring of 2026, will provide a structured framework for deepening collaboration between the education community and the Wikimedia movement.
Finally, the upcoming publication of the English version of the book, scheduled for release by the end of 2025 by Athabasca University Press (see the book’s page on the publisher’s website), could act as a catalyst for expanding involvement and networking within the English-speaking Wikimedia community across the country.
This collective momentum, both local and pan-Canadian, shows that the future of the Wikimedia movement in Canada is already being written, with and thanks to the diversity of its communities. It is up to us to continue to imagine and build it together.
Photo credit: Letartean – CC BY-SA 4.0