Canadian booksellers have joined forces to ask that Prime Minister Mark Carney exempt books from the 25% counter-tariffs scheduled to take effect on April 2 on $125 billion worth of goods imported from the U.S.

In an unusual collaboration, Laura Carter, executive director of the Canadian Independent Booksellers' Association (CIBA), and Heather Reisman, CEO of chain bookseller Indigo Books & Music, sent a letter to the Prime Minister on March 20 urging the exclusion of books from the impending tariffs.

Carter and Reisman said in their letter that imposing tariffs on books would have "devastating consequences for Canadian readers, our businesses, and our cultural landscape," reported the Quill & Quire.

The letter highlights a significant industry concern: that books by Canadian authors printed in and distributed through U.S. warehouses would be subject to the additional tariff, as the majority of books sold in Canada are published by Canadian divisions of multinational publishers.

"Unlike interchangeable consumer goods we know that readers will not likely substitute a book arriving via the U.S. for a Canadian printed and warehoused book," Carter and Reisman said in the letter. "At this time there is nowhere near the capacity in Canada to handle all of our printing and warehousing. This tariff threatens the survival of bookstores and the livelihoods of thousands of Canadians."

The status of books as products vulnerable to tariffs has remained uncertain and undetermined. Certain provisions in existing U.S. law may exempt certain categories of books—particularly educational materials—from imposition of tariffs, but if and how far that may extend to trade books remains uncertain.

Booksellers speak out

Numerous Canadian booksellers have been vocal on social media and elsewhere in expressing their opposition to tariffs.

Last week, Massy Books in Vancouver, B.C., posted a “Tarriff Update” to their website as a warning to customers to brace for higher prices. “Depending on the outcome, starting April 2nd, you may see the cost of some items increase,” the statement reads. “We’re aiming to reduce additional costs as much as possible, but the reality is we may be forced to increase our prices to ensure our little shop survives this ridiculous tariff war.” It continues: “The largest increase will come from items ordered directly from our US supplier, Ingram Publishing, due to the 25% tariff increase, the 6.5% freight, and the current exchange rate. This will be automatically added and included in the price of books visible when browsing our shop.” The bookseller added that, as a means of counteracting these potential price hikes, it would focus renewed energy on sourcing and selling used books.

Following this statement, other area booksellers weighed in as well. “We think that if a 25% tariff is placed on books entering Canada that it has the potential to instantly destabilize, and potentially permanently cripple the Canadian publishing and bookselling industry. It would be catastrophic,” Chris Brayshaw, owner of Pulpfiction Books in Vancouver, told CityNews Vancouver.

Laughing Oyster Bookshop in Courtenay, B.C., shared a similar sentiment on Facebook. "We can say with confidence that this deadly blow to readers, writers, publishers, libraries, schools, and bookstores in Canada is unlikely to impact the decisions made by the American Republican Party in any way,” reads a recent post from the store. “We believe that the ramifications for our small but culturally impactful industry have been overlooked, and could be saved with the stroke of a pen at no political cost. That's why we are asking you to help us communicate the concern at hand to the Canadian government.”

A decade's-old problem

Over the past two decades, all multinational publishers with warehouses in Canada have relocated their distribution operations to the U.S. Simon & Schuster moved distribution to the U.S. in 2004 following a 2002 federal ruling that overturned foreign investment rules, allowing Canadian-owned distributor Distican to be sold to S&S. After the 2013 merger of Random House of Canada and Penguin Canada, approved by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Competition Bureau, distribution was shifted to the U.S. starting in 2014. Both publishers had previously maintained warehouses in Canada. HarperCollins Canada relocated its distribution to the U.S. in 2015, affecting numerous Canadian-owned publishers that had distribution contracts with HarperCollins.

The majority of independent Canadian publishers—most of whom print, publish, and warehouse their books in Canada—would remain unaffected. Jack Illingworth, executive director of the Association of Canadian Publishers, told PW that although there is minimal direct impact of the counter-measure on Canadian independent publishers since few of their books are printed in the U.S., the organization is concerned about broader industry effects.

"However, there are plenty of potential impacts that go beyond that. We’re worried about the viability of booksellers, the potential for US retaliation (Canada can currently ship books to the US tariff-free, but Congress can end that at any point), and the long-term impact of abandoning Canada’s practice of keeping culture off the table in trade disputes," he said. "That last item could be a problem in any future review or renegotiation of CUSMA, as it is the principle that safeguards our ability to fund and regulate cultural industries. In the longer term, Canadian printing capacity could become an issue if the multinationals move more of their production here."

Illingworth added, "The free exchange of knowledge is vital, too. Books aren’t a fungible product like drapes or cheese. Someone who wants a specific book wants only that book. While we’d love readers to explore the wealth of fantastic Canadian-published books that are in the market, it would be a mistake to limit the choices that are available in the marketplace. We’re strongly opposed to a one-way tariff on books and have been advocating to government to that end."