The PEN Canada, PEN America, and PEN Québec have called for the Canadian government to exempt books from tariffs on U.S. They call on both countries’ governments to adopt such measures as an absolute minimum. Failure to act risks long-term impacts on literary culture that could prove irreversible.

The statement of Pen Canada said, amid rising political tensions between the U.S. and Canada, and escalating threats of a broader trade war, the downstream effects of tariffs on writers, readers, publishers, and booksellers will be profound.

The statement added, “words and ideas are not owned by nations and states; the closing of borders is a harbinger for the closing of minds. In this context, ideas and information must be allowed to travel freely, a potential antidote to ignorance and chauvinism. Our writers must not be silenced, either — whether through direct censorship, intimidation, the chilling effect of political tensions, or the creation of economic barriers.”

The PEN Canada statement said, Today, reports of hardening attitudes in our countries are worrisome, jeopardizing more than a century of friendship and goodwill. The foundations of free expression and democracy, which both Americans and Canadians cherish, are at stake.