Up And Down Beirut
As a new school year approaches, parents and students are out buying new school supplies — but one classroom staple has people in Newfoundland and Labrador demanding answers.
Hilroy Canada exercise books are known for the map of Canada on the cover. The design for a glossy version of the notebook also features the map but it’s missing some of Canada’s geographical features — namely Newfoundland and Cape Breton.
When handed a book by CBC News, Victor Aucoin, a teacher, initially admired the design but on closer inspection asked, “Where’s Newfoundland?” before laughing.
“There’s no Newfoundland. Oh, so we don’t exist in Canada, OK! That’s nice to see,” he said.
“The most beautiful island on Earth and … we didn’t make it to Canada,” he added, shaking his head a little. “What a sin.”
WATCH | ‘It’s totally unacceptable, I will be writing to Hilroy and tell them to take it off the shelf,’ says teacher Victor Aucoin:
A new line of classic Hilroy notebooks carries an image of a map of Canada on the cover, without any island of Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island. The CBC’s John Harris gets reaction on what’s missing.
Aucoin said given the province’s economic importance to the country, it was shocking to see the island missing, adding he won’t be buying these books.
“I know in my classroom if some children come in, I will ask them to tell their parents to contact Hilroy and file a complaint, as I will as well.”
He added his mother is from Cape Breton.
“Wait till I call her and tell her Cape Breton is no longer part of Canada. She’s going to be pleased. No Newfoundland. No Cape Breton,” he said, again shaking his head.
Aucoin reiterated the situation is unacceptable and he would be contacting the company to tell them to take the new exercise books off the shelves.
“This is an uproar.”
CBC News contacted ACCO Brands, which owns Hilroy, for an interview. In a statement, vice-president, culture and administrative services Lori Conley said the problem with the cover, which came out in 2025, is the result of a printing error.
“This was our error, we’re sorry for it, and we’re correcting it. We have stopped distribution of the affected cover and are working on the remaining inventory,” she wrote.
Conley added people can reach out to the company for a replacement or refund.
“To everyone who spotted it: you’re right and thank you for telling us,” she wrote.
‘It’s bananas’
Johnathan Goodyear, also looking over the new design, said it was “kind of crazy” that Newfoundland is missing and wondered how it happened. He’d like to see the company recall the exercise books
.
“It’s bananas,” he said.
Goodyear added Newfoundland and Labrador has contributed a lot to Canada, especially on a military front, so “knocking us off is pretty rough.”
Some people worried the omission could have a detrimental impact on students learning about the country.
Goodyear is concerned it could leave students unaware of the country’s geography.
“It’s kind of a big deal.”
Rose Wilkinson said Newfoundland should be included in the cover and worries people don’t know where Newfoundland is.
“I feel like most people don’t think of it as a place [in] Canada because it’s so small,” she said.
Dace Gruchy, who initially admired the new design for its bright colours, was also unimpressed when he noticed Newfoundland was missing from the cover.
“That’s mad disrespectful,” said Gruchy. “We should be on this ’cause we’re part of Canada.”
