The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is urging federal and provincial governments to end handouts to publishing houses that promote radical political ideas. The group says Canadians should not be forced to bankroll books most people do not want to buy.“It’s wrong for taxpayers to be on the hook for publishing houses pushing fringe political propaganda,” said Devin Drover, CTF Atlantic Director. “If people don’t want to actually buy a book, taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to pay for it.”Fernwood Publishing, which operates in Halifax and Winnipeg, has received $306,900 from the federal government between 2020 and 2024, $135,000 from Nova Scotia’s Publishers Assistance Fund in 2024, and $86,250 from Manitoba’s Publisher Marketing Assistance Program since 2020. Manitoba alone spends roughly $114,000 a year on publisher marketing handouts..The company describes itself as “politically driven, not profit driven,” claiming this model allows it to “take risks in publishing radical analysis” and “contribute to structural change.” Recent titles include Red Flags: A Reckoning with Communism for the Future of the Left, which examines what the left must confront to build a “genuinely liberatory alternative to capitalism,” as well as collections like I’ll Get Right On It, exploring “working life in the climate crisis,” and Openings and Closures: Socialist Strategy at a Crossroads, detailing socialist strategies for 2025.Despite the funding, Fernwood’s books have struggled to find an audience. Red Flags ranks #472 in “Communist & Socialist Ideologies” and #82 in “Marxism Philosophy” on Amazon.ca, with no reviews.“If a business is explicitly ‘not profit driven,’ taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for that bad business plan,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. “Publishers should make their money by selling books people want to read, not getting handouts from three different levels of government.”The CTF continues to call on Ottawa, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia to end funding for publishers that push radical political agendas, insisting taxpayer dollars should be spent responsibly.
