Book industry fears Canada's proposed counter-tariffs against U.S.-printed books will do more harm than good

CBC

28-03-2025

As Canada looks for ways to fight back against tariffs imposed on Canadian goods by U.S. President Donald Trump, libraries, booksellers and publishers are worried Canadian-made books might be part of the plan.
The government has been working to figure out what goods will be part of $125 billion worth of counter-tariff measures, and books printed stateside are on the list.
"What we're looking at is an almost catastrophic hit to the Canadian book industry," said B.C.-based publisher Don Gorman.
He figures these tariffs could increase the cost of books published in the United States by anywhere from five to 20 per cent — a cost he said would likely be passed on to the consumer.
Smithers, B.C., librarian Wendy Wright said if 25 per cent tariffs were imposed on books printed in the United States, costs would be passed on to the consumer and libraries like hers wouldn't be able to purchase as many new books.
"If we're not able to access a lot of books published in America because they're simply priced out of reach, it's going to affect libraries which have a very small fixed purchasing budget," she told CBC's Daybreak North guest host, Bill Fee.
Anyone can write the government to explain why an item should or shouldn't be considered during the open comment period, which closes on April 2.
Wright said she did write to the federal government explaining why books should not be part of the tariffs.
"It's going to affect the type of materials that people can afford to buy. It's going to limit our options severely, and I think Canadians will be much poorer for it if we can't afford access to American thought and also Canadian books by Canadian writers that are published in the U.S."
In an email to subscribers, the owners of Black Bond Books in B.C., said the tariffs would "cripple" the industry.
They said the majority of books sold in Canada, including those by Canadian authors, are published by multinational publishers that use U.S. printers and warehouses.
"Being forced to either absorb or pass on a 25 per cent tariff would threaten the survival of our stores and the livelihoods of thousands of Canadians working in the book industry, as well as creating an unnecessary barrier to information and learning for all Canadians," they said.
Association of Canadian Publishers executive director Jack Illingworth, who represents small- to medium-sized publishers in Canada, is urging Canadians to purchase books printed in Canada — of which there are many.
"There is a wealth of Canadian authored and published books for readers to choose from," he said. "For example, the most recent Canada Reads winner and runner-up, those are from Canadian-owned companies."
But he's worried about what tariffs on books printed in the U.S. might mean down the road.
"Our first concerns are about the prospect of American retaliation," he said. As of right now, books are not included in the 25 per cent tariffs the U.S. has imposed on Canadian goods. If that were to happen, even more book-related businesses would suffer.
Additionally, he wants Canada to keep "culture off the table" during trade disputes.
"Also, on behalf of our colleagues in bookselling, we know that the booksellers, the majority of the books they sell are imported. They feel it would be tremendously impactful on their viability, and we need viable booksellers to sell our books through."
Illingworth said he has met with the federal Department of Finance and Global Affairs Canada, where he believes they heard his concerns — but still isn't sure they'll follow through.
"They weren't able to make any firm commitments," he said.