The possible imposition of 25 per cent counter-tariffs on U.S. imports next week has local bookstore owners worried.
“The fear is unaffordability and inaccessibility,” said JJ Davis, co-owner of White Pine Books and Children’s Boutique in Arnprior. “And books are not a luxury item. They’re cultural essentials.”
But there’s a huge link between the Canadian and U.S. publishing industries—many books, including by Canadian authors, are printed in the U.S.
Announced as part of retaliatory measures amid the trade war, Davis said there’s still uncertainty about the rollout.
“It is not necessarily a blanket 25 per cent on all books. Some publishers may absorb the cost, but I can guarantee you it’s only being able to absorb the cost for so long and it will eventually trickle down to small businesses like ours and our customers that we love and rely on and want to keep this space here for us,” Davis said.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe took a surprise trip to Washington to meet with his North American and Mexican counterparts to show a united front against tariffs.
“The municipalities are the level at which we feel the impacts of these kinds of changes the greatest and that that we need to work together to send a very strong signal that tariffs kill jobs, they hurt families, they hurt small businesses,” Sutcliffe said in an interview Friday.
Sutcliffe said he was “optimistic” about U.S. President Donald Trump’s change in tone but need to prepare for anything.
“We need to keep advocating to make sure that there is not a trade war and we need to keep making the Canadian economy and our local economy in Ottawa more resilient, more diverse, able to withstand whatever might happen in the future.”
