Organized in 1972, the Writers' Union of Canada held its first annual general meeting of eighty founding members at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on 3 November 1973. The purpose of the Writers' Union is to unite Canadian writers for the advancement of their common interest--the fostering of Canadian writing, relations with publishers, exchange of information among members, safeguarding the freedom to write and publish, and good relations with other writers and their organizations in Canada and throughout the world.
For further information on the Writers' Union, see Ted Whittaker, ed., *The Writers' Union of Canada: A Directory of Members* (Toronto: The Writers' Union of Canada, 1981).