The translation process for both literary and non-literary texts in Canada includes a wide-ranging network of official, semi-official, academic, and creative roles that cover a spectrum of theoretical and practical occupations. Since the use of translation in the exploration and exploitation of North America during the seventeenth century and after, the necessity and act of translation in an officially multicultural society has since become a common occurrence for those participating in Canada’s social, political, and cultural experience. From a literary and publishing perspective, Canadians not only translate writers of diverse national and linguistic backgrounds, but are most often frequently engaged in translating their fellow Canadians.

As literary editor of Saturday Night (1922-8), the Mail and Empire (1928-36), and the Globe and Mail (1936-60), William Arthur Deacon (1890-1977) was Canada’s best-known bookman. He aimed to create a readership for the appreciation of Canadian writers and for the purchase of Canadian books.

Despite the immense popularity of his novel, The Chien d’or / The Golden Dog: A Legend of Quebec, William Kirby lost the royalties and received almost none of the profit this book garnered. This article focuses on copyright issues that surrounded publication of The Golden Dog and how this resulted in the novel’s piracy.