by Matt Long
I’d like to take some time to talk about the new Editors Canada publication Editing with Respect: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Handbook 2026. This project has been in the works for a long time, and tons of volunteer time and brainpower went into making this possible. I thought it would be helpful to share some info on the purpose of the document, the contributors, the development process, and what it means for this handbook to be a living document.
The development of Editing with Respect started even before I joined the publications committee. Editors Canada recognized that editors, along with many parts of society in the late 2010s and early 2020s, increasingly had questions about how to write, edit, speak, and even think about an ever-growing diverse range of topics. And as with most topics that have any level of complexity to them, once we opened the door to asking questions about authenticity, sensitivity, equality and so on, more questions followed. The committee decided to create a document that could be a starting point for where to go if editors have questions related to topics of equity, diversity, and inclusion. A key decision was to make the document free and not hide it behind the member paywall.
The first working group did a fantastic job creating an initial draft, but in consultation with other members, we agreed that it needed more work. We were able to recruit an amazing editor and writer, Aakanksha Gupta, whom I met through the George Brown College Editorial Skills certificate program. As someone with relevant knowledge and lived experiences, Aakanksha was able to bring a level of depth and insight that improved the document immeasurably.
One of the first tasks was creating a one-page summary that boiled down our main themes and key ideas into a manageable and organized document that we both agreed on. This helped keep us on track, ensuring we were sticking to the topics in scope and not introducing new arguments and ideas. When that did happen, we would discuss whether it was important enough to include as a new topic; if so, we would revise the one-pager to keep us on point. Aakanksha and I spent about a year reviewing the drafts that she worked on, consulting about wording and writing together. Over that time, the handbook became more thorough and answered a broader range of questions that could come up at various parts in the writing, editing and publishing process.
One theme that Aakanksha felt needed to be included was intersectionality because she realized it was a fundamental throughline in this work (and in her own life). I asked her to share why, and she responded:
Living in four countries has shown me first-hand how all the facets of my social identity relate to one another in distinct settings, culminating in the privileges I have and the challenges I face. I was experiencing intersectionality before I knew there was a term for it, and once I became aware of the framework, it began actively shaping the way I interacted with the world. Over the years, it has become clear that my identities – be it my gender, race, socioeconomic class or learning disability – do not exist in a vacuum. Regardless of how consciously I am thinking about these, their overlap determines my view of society, how I am perceived, the opportunities I have access to and more.
My understanding of intersectionality has been deepened by people and by stories, which I find to be the most powerful way of knowing who we are and how we navigate the world. As an editor, I am most drawn to material rooted in inclusive, nuanced representations, especially of groups that face widespread stereotyping, prejudice and oppression. Whether I worked on a teacher guide, a children’s graphic novel script or a movie review, one common thread stood out: Each was informed by the author’s experiences. With such projects, I feel an immense responsibility to understand who writes them, what the purpose is and how my own background could improve or impede any contributions.
I didn’t always know to do that, let alone how to go about it, and I am eager to keep learning as language and best practices evolve. I could not have arrived at this point without the brilliant editors and writers who guided me, so my hope is for Editing with Respect to be a similarly helpful resource for anyone who is interested.
Once we felt the document was ready, we shared it (at various times) with the rest of the publications committee, the equity, diversity and inclusion committee, and the NEC, which started a multi-month period of revisions and rewriting. We also had it reviewed by two authenticity readers – Lisa Frenette and Lisa Grieve – to ensure the document was sound, especially the section focused on editing work by Indigenous Peoples. Certain sections, in particular, were improved, like the section on inclusive language in writing about disability, which Lisa Grieve brought critical attention to, along with suggesting big language-related changes such as using the phrase “equity-deserving groups.”
Finally, we were able to submit a version of the handbook that was ready for readers. In total, getting the document ready for publication took about another year.
One of the most important goals of this document was to establish it as a living document. As a relatively small group of volunteers developed this, we were not able to include all perspectives, touch on all subjects or provide a resource that will answer every question editors, writers, and members of the public will have about how to use language respectfully. As a living document, it should be regularly updated so that it maintains its usefulness and provides help in even broader ways. We hope future editions will have more examples that reflect the experiences of even more people. There are likely entire ideas we did not include that could be written about in future versions. We felt it was vitally important for the publication of the document not to be delayed any longer in the hope of making it “perfect.”
To support Editing with Respect as a living document, we encourage you to email the publications committee with any thoughts, feedback and suggestions. If you’d be interested in joining the committee or specifically a working group for Editing with Respect, please contact us. We have, for example, not figured out the exact cadence of how often it should be updated; it could be half a year, a year, or a few years. We hope there will be another group of volunteers eager to maintain and improve this document in the months and years ahead.
As chair of the publications committee from 2023 until the end of June 2026, I’m very proud to have contributed to this document and to see it published during my tenure. I hope it’s a resource that our members, along with other editors and people from other parts of life, find helpful, whether they read the whole document in depth or only read certain sections when specific needs arise. I know I learned a lot by thinking critically about these concepts and engaging in deep, honest discussions about my ideas, my biases and my assumptions. I hope Editing with Respect does the same for you.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to every Editors Canada member who volunteered their time, knowledge, and experience to create this incredible resource.
Matt Long (What’s the Idea Editing) is a non-fiction copy editor, proofreader, and writer based in Hamilton, Ontario. He has served as the publications chair for Editors Canada since 2023.
This article was copy edited by Alain Boulay, an Editors Canada student affiliate member working towards completing his Editing Certificate with Simon Fraser University.
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