The Canadian Independent Booksellers Association (CIBA) is thrilled to announce that the Government of Canada has committed to providing $32.1 million in funding, over two years, to help booksellers sustain and increase their online sales.

In February 2021, CIBA submitted a proposal to the Department of Finance Canada urging them to provide independent booksellers with support to better level the playing field against the multinational conglomerate Amazon. This proposal was jointly submitted by CIBA, Les libraries indépendantes du Québec (LIQ), and L’Association des libraires du Québec (ALQ) on behalf of independent booksellers across the country. Our proposal was also shared with the Department of Canadian Heritage and Global Affairs Canada: Small Business. We also mobilized by sending letters to our local MPs, urging them to champion our recommendations. We are grateful to everyone who bolstered our message.

This funding will provide vital support to independent booksellers and help them thrive. We have been informed that our proposal was a key factor in this funding decision.

The importance of independent booksellers to Canadian culture cannot be overstated. Bookstores are integral to their communities and play an essential role in the larger Canadian literary ecosystem. Despite efforts to adapt during COVID-19, indie bookstores face structural imbalances – like the high cost of shipping – that make it difficult to compete, despite customer loyalty and increases in demand. Our proposal successfully communicated the special role that independent bookstores play in our country and proposed effective policy initiatives to aid and protect their ongoing viability.

Details about how the funding will be used are forthcoming. In the meantime, CIBA would like to sincerely thank the Hon. Chrystia Freeland, the Hon. Steven Guilbeault, and their teams for their investment in independent bookstores. We would also like to thank our partners at the LIQ and ALQ, as well as BookNet Canada, Bookmanager, the Association of Canada Publishers, l’Association nationale des éditeurs de livres, and l’Association des distributeurs exclusifs de livres en langue française for their meaningful support.

Questions? Please contact:
Douglas Minett
Executive Director
Canadian Independent Booksellers Association