It appears it will be business as usual for the Literary Press Group, which today received verbal notification that James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage, has overturned the decision to cut its funding.

On June 1, the LPG learned of the Department of Canadian Heritage’s plans to suspend the organization’s funding for the current fiscal period. The cut in funding would have meant laying off LPG’s sales force, which supports 47 Canadian publishers in seven provinces.

No reason has been given for the reversal, although the cuts were the focus of a public letter-writing campaign directed at Conservative MPs.

LPG executive director Jack Illingworth writes in a statement:

We remain grateful for the support that the Department of Canadian Heritage has provided for this endeavour since 1992. This government’s commitment to the arts rings through best when everyday Canadians are prepared to step forward and demonstrate how much they mean.

We are grateful for the overwhelming public support we received from Canadian readers, writers, publishers, and industry colleagues. We look forward to bringing you the best of Canadian literary writing for years to come.