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How AI allegations led Quebec author from prestigious awards to losing his publisher
Timeline of AI allegations around Thélyson Orélien
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Francois Couture (Mandatory Credit)
A few weeks ago, Haitian-born Quebec author Thélyson Orélien was collecting award nominations as his book topped bestseller lists. Then, allegations that he used artificial intelligence to write his debut novel, “C’était ça ou mourir” (“It was either that or dying”), started cropping up.
On Wednesday, his Quebec publisher announced it was cutting ties with the author after it found evidence it says indicates he used artificial intelligence to write his book.
Here is a timeline of the rise of Orélien’s book and the mounting accusations that followed.
2017: Orélien said he began writing his book in 2017 in Laval, north of Montreal.
The book follows a Haitian man forced to flee his country and make a perilous journey through the Americas to Quebec. The story is based on Orélien's own experience leaving Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, the author has said.
2019: Orélien said he finished the first draft of more than 300 pages, two years later.
Sept. 12, 2025: Les Éditions du Boréal said it received the manuscript of “C’était ça ou mourir." The publisher later said it couldn't verify the allegations about the book's writing process before that date.
March 9, 2026: “C’était ça ou mourir” is published in Quebec. It was published in France a few weeks later and set to be translated into over 20 languages, according to French publisher Éditions Grasset.
Sept. 2: “C’était ça ou mourir” is among 16 nominees for the Prix Goncourt, one of France’s most prestigious literary awards.
Sept. 21: Grasset announces the author has won France’s Prix du Roman Fnac, a literary award chosen by a jury of 400 booksellers and 400 readers.
That same day, the X account “Balance ton Claude” alleges that, according to Pangram software, excerpts of Orélien’s novel had been written “almost entirely by artificial intelligence.”
Sept. 22: Orélien denies AI use in a joint press release with his Quebec publisher. The author says his writing style comes from Haiti's literary tradition, “where poetry, images, repetitions and rhythm carry a living speech."
The publisher defends Orélien and denounces statements that “directly damage the author’s reputation.”
Sept. 23: Separate plagiarism allegations emerge as media outlet La Presse publishes an article outlining passages in articles attributed to Orélien and published in Quebec and French media between 2012 and 2014 that were near-identical to previously-published work by other authors.
Sept. 24: Boréal says it is concerned about the plagiarism allegations and suspends promotional activities surrounding Orélien’s novel, citing the author’s well-being. The publisher says it is working with the author to compile a detailed record of his writing process.
The Salon du livre de l’Estrie, a book fair in Sherbrooke, Que., announces it is removing Orélien as a guest of honour after learning of the plagiarism allegations.
That same day, French literary online magazine ActuaLitté publishes an article about a 2023 text on Orélien’s blog which included a sentence that looks like an AI prompt.
Sept. 25: The Académie Goncourt removes “C’était ça ou mourir” from consideration for the Prix Goncourt. The academy cites analyses it considered credible and the separate plagiarism allegations involving Orélien’s previous work.
Orélien declines to respond to the new allegations or provide further comment. “I can’t talk about it. I want to focus on my physical and mental health,” he says in a WhatsApp message to The Canadian Press.
Oct. 13: In a statement, Orélien admits that he plagiarized some of his earlier work and apologizes for making what he described as unacceptable mistakes in his youth. “Admiration does not give you the right to take, to claim as your own texts that are not yours,” he writes.
However, he denies using AI to write his debut novel, saying no sentence was generated by a machine. He adds that he used AI tools for research, for instance to look up foreign-language expressions.
“What I am going through is cruel,” he writes. “By attributing a text, one that is mine...to a machine, they have not only called into question my status as a writer but also my humanity.”
Oct. 14: Boréal condemned Orélien’s plagiarism but said it stood by the author amid the AI allegations and would keep the book on shelves. It said it had no evidence beyond the author’s word to determine how the novel was written.
“The publisher’s role is not to demand proof from authors, but to stand by them, and that is what we are doing,” the publishing house said.
Oct. 17: Boréal confirms Orélien has dropped his efforts to compile evidence he did not use AI to write his novel. “That decision is his to make, and we accept it, although we certainly would have preferred to be able to provide definitive answers to the allegations of AI use against him,” co-director Renaud Roussel wrote in an email to The Canadian Press.
At the time, Roussel said the publisher’s position on the affair had not changed. A new printing was expected the following week.
Oct. 21: Boréal announces it cut ties with Orélien. The publishing house says it found evidence, through an analysis of some documents' metadata, that Orélien used AI to write his book.
The publisher said it will not reprint the book or publish more books by Orélien.
“We still do not know to what extent AI was used in the creation of ‘C’était ça ou mourir,’ and we will likely never have a definitive answer,” it wrote.
— With files from Charlotte Glorieux
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
By Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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University of Toronto isn't the top school in Canada's best universities ranking for 2027
You might not expect some of the universities that are on this list.
A new ranking of the best universities in Canada for 2027 is out, and the top school isn't the University of Toronto.
Ontario post-secondary schools, including a few you might not expect, dominated the list but didn't get the number one spot.
Maclean's recently published the 2027 University Rankings for post-secondary schools in Canada.
It includes lists of the best large, mid-size and small universities, along with rankings based on student awards, graduation rates, faculty awards, scholarships, research, student services, reputation and other criteria.
There are 15 post-secondary schools ranked on Maclean's list of the top large universities. The Canadian universities must have more than 30,000 students and offer a wide range of programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
In the ranking of Canada's best large universities for 2027, the top school is McGill University.
Maclean's said that McGill has more Rhodes Scholars and Nobel Prize laureates than any other university in Canada. Its standout programs are Population and Global Health, Education in Global Contexts, and Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry.
Then, the University of Toronto is second, and the University of British Columbia is third.
University of Toronto is "in a class of its own," according to Maclean's, because it has more than 16,500 faculty, over 700 undergraduate programs and more than 102,000 students across three campuses. The standout programs are AI Engineering, Game Studies, and Management Co-op.
Maclean's said the University of British Columbia has an international reputation for research and graduate programs. The university's standout programs are Management, Indigenous Land Stewardship, and Freshwater Science.
Those schools are Canada's big three in university rankings, but the University of Toronto is typically the number one school in Canada, so you might not have expected McGill to take the top spot.
After the top three, the University of Waterloo is fourth, and Queen's University is fifth.
Then, the University of Alberta and McMaster University are tied for sixth, the University of Ottawa is eighth, the University of Calgary is ninth, and Western University is 10th, according to Maclean's.
Université Laval is 11th, Université de Montréal is 12th, York University is 13th, Toronto Metropolitan University is 14th, and Concordia University is 15th in this ranking of Canada's top universities.
Ontario is the most represented province, with eight schools in the province ranked in the top 15, compared to four in Quebec, two in Alberta and one in B.C.
READ NEXT: Canada's top schools fell in this best universities ranking but others aren't close to U of T
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Ottawa gives Stelco owner 15 days to address alleged violations or face legal action
Ottawa gives Stelco owner 15-day deadline
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn
Ottawa is giving the U.S. owner of Stelco Inc. a 15-day deadline to address alleged violations of binding commitments it made when it purchased the Ontario steelmaker two years ago or face potential legal action.
In an 11-page letter Thursday, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly accuses Cleveland-Cliffs of failing to honour six binding commitments made when it acquired Stelco, including employment guarantees.
She also accuses Cleveland-Cliffs of advocating for U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel despite its commitment to support Canada's steel industry, then using those same tariffs to justify layoffs.
Cleveland-Cliffs announced plans on Sept. 28 to lay off up to 500 workers at Stelco's Hamilton Works and Lake Erie Works in Ontario, citing U.S. tariffs and challenging market conditions.
Joly says the company must address its alleged violations, prove it has not broken its commitments or explain why it has failed to meet them.
If the company fails to comply, she says the federal government may apply to a superior court for remedies including an order requiring Cleveland-Cliffs to divest control of Stelco.
The letter discloses the exact employment commitments Cleveland-Cliffs agreed to in 2024, including to maintain an annual average of at least 1,766 full-time-equivalent unionized workers and 603 full-time-equivalent salaried workers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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