CBA Issues Preemptive Strike Against Amazon
by Leah Eichler -- Publishers Weekly, 6/3/2002
Recent rumblings about Internet retailers Amazon.com and eBay moving into the Canadian market led the Canadian Booksellers Association to try to thwart their arrival by sending a letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, asking her not to allow the foreign retail giants into Canada.
CBA president Todd Anderson explained that he wrote to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Sheila Copps, after members across Canada started becoming alarmed. "When the Amazon plans and rumors started to come to light, member stores from Halifax to Victoria started to raise concerns," Anderson told PW.
In its letter, the organization emphasized how recent upheavals in the industry have made them more vulnerable to foreign competitors and how important booksellers are in promoting Canadian culture.
"The Canadian government and the Department of Canadian Heritage have traditionally sought to support our unique cultural perspective by placing reasonable limits on American domination of our book market. Given recent upheaval in the book industry, these limits are more important today than ever before," wrote Anderson.
"Letting foreign retail giants into local Canadian markets under the false guise of Canadian partnership would be disastrous for consumers in the long run and devastating to an important Canadian industry employing real book lovers in every community across Canada," Anderson added.
The minister has yet to respond to the letter. Amazon has made no comment on its plans for the Canadian market.
