Bestselling book about Freedom Convoy kept off shelves at Indigo

In June, journalist and broadcaster Andrew Lawton published his latest book, "The Freedom Convoy: The Inside Story of Three Weeks that Shook the World." It instantly sailed up the charts, and currently sits at number one in Amazon's International Politics section.

Brick and mortar bookstore chain Indigo, however, has not stocked Lawton's bestseller at any of its locations. While customers can still purchase the book via their website, Indigo's decision has people asking questions.

Indigo has stocked many other books produced by Lawton's publisher, Sutherland House, leading executive and founder Kenneth Whyte to question why this one was treated differently.

"Maybe they don’t think the people who would be interested in this book would shop at Indigo," Whyte said, according to the National Post. "You would think they understand that people who go into their stores don’t all share the same outlook and probably want to see some diversity of opinion on their shelves."

Despite contacting Indigo multiple times, Whyte was not given an explanation as to why it was kept off shelves, leading him to wonder if the reason was perhaps because they had "a problem with the subject matter or the perceived politics in the book."

As the National Post reports, Indigo simply chalked it up to not having enough space in its inventory.

"We carry 15 million titles online and only curate 30,000 in our biggest stores. Smaller stores carry even less," Indigo's director of corporate communications and public relations wrote, adding that the in-house print team makes the final call on what gets chosen using a "deep knowledge of the Indigo customer."

Whyte said that Lawton has chosen not to focus on Indigo's decision, instead using his time to connect with his audience.

The Freedom Convoy, which saw thousands descend on Ottawa in February to protest the Trudeau Liberals' Covid regulations, namely vaccine mandates, is still fresh in the minds of many Canadians, as its organizers continue to face punishment for their involvement.