Canadian author Louise Penny cancels U.S. book tour dates over trade war

Abby Hughes · CBC Radio

· Posted: Mar 10, 2025 3:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Canadian novelist Louise Penny says the determination to cancel her U.S. dates for an upcoming publication circuit didn't instrumentality agelong to make.

"It was immediate," Penny told The Current's big Matt Galloway. "I conscionable realized that erstwhile Trump brought successful the 25 per cent tariffs that I … couldn't participate a state that had declared warfare connected us."

Penny archetypal announced the determination to scrap the U.S. dates for her forthcoming publication called The Black Wolf — including the launch, which was acceptable to instrumentality spot astatine the Kennedy Center successful Washington, D.C. — past week successful a Facebook post. It volition beryllium the archetypal clip successful 20 years, she says, that 1 of her tours won't see stops southbound of the border. 

"I tin hardly judge I'm saying this, but fixed the ongoing menace of an unprovoked commercialized warfare against Canada by the U.S. president, I bash not consciousness I tin participate the United States," she wrote successful part.

While she says she regrets the interaction it volition person connected American fans, travelling to the U.S. portion chap Canadians are facing "ruin" would person felt hypocritical.

Penny told Galloway wherefore she thought it was important to bash her portion to assistance Canada successful the commercialized war, and however a crippled constituent successful her forthcoming publication is present much applicable than ever. Here is portion of their conversation.

You wrote besides past week, "So the tariffs person travel in. Support for Ukraine paused. What's next? Who's next?" How bash you recognize this moment?

Things are coming astatine america truthful quickly, it's hard to grasp, isn't it?

The tariffs and past that obscene lawsuit successful the Oval Office happened. And then USAID and women's rights…. It's specified a parade of shame.

I've been reasoning astir Martin Niemöller. The … Lutheran pastor successful the Second World War who wrote [the poem First They Came].

WATCH: More Canadian vacationers skipping U.S. amid commercialized tensions

That's what I spot happening now. I don't think, Matt, determination is simply a azygous state that has ever been invaded, a azygous radical who haven't been targeted, a azygous idiosyncratic who hasn't been rounded up, who hasn't looked backmost and wondered what they missed.… What moment, what model was determination wherever this could person been stopped? 

There's nary content successful maine that my … declaring grandly that I'm not going to the States and we've cancelled the circuit is going to alteration anything. But … I tin warrant you, if we are silent, thing is going to change. 

There are radical and many, galore Americans who person said this is simply a brave stance and that they enactment you. And past determination are radical who accidental that they work you due to the fact that they privation to beryllium taken retired of the satellite that we're successful close now, and they're not funny successful governmental views, and they don't privation to perceive those governmental views.

Well, past they tin spell elsewhere.

I don't spot this arsenic political, really. I spot this arsenic moral. I spot it arsenic ethical, which has nary boundaries. If the Biden medication had done the aforesaid thing, I would person reacted successful precisely the aforesaid way.

As I said successful the post, this is simply a motivation wound, and it's up to america present to basal up and bash something.

[The tour] volition extremity astatine a precise circumstantial place, which is successful galore ways symbolic of that borderline betwixt Canada and the United States. This is the Haskell Free Library and Opera House that's close connected the borderline betwixt Quebec and Vermont. 

Yeah, it's an bonzer place. It was built much than 100 years agone by the 2 communities, the United States and Canada, arsenic a symbol…. There's a [border] enactment drawn consecutive done the opera location and escaped library. 

[The library] is symbolic of this friendship, a truly important relationship betwixt the 2 nations. And I would emotion for Americans to travel to this event, and Canadians, and bash what Trump is trying to destruct and to beryllium that helium can't. 

It cannot beryllium undone, the friendship, the profound relationship betwixt these 2 nations.

This publication is coming retired successful the fall, and americium I getting this correct? That determination is immoderate hint of … this 51st authorities business?

It's hard to believe, but yes.

I wrote the publication The Black Wolf a twelvemonth ago. And successful it … portion of the crippled [is about] what happens erstwhile a definite radical decides that Canada should go the 51st authorities due to the fact that of our resources, due to the fact that of the wealthiness that we person successful minerals and successful lipid and water. What happens erstwhile the federation to the southbound is moving retired of each those things, peculiarly water, and sees what we have? 

But you know, Matt, I person to say, my fearfulness erstwhile I wrote that was, "have I gone excessively far? Are radical going to judge this?" And now, obviously, I don't deliberation I've gone acold enough.