Leica Raises Prices in Canada Because of US Tariffs
Leica will increase the price of its products in the United States as a result of the blanket tariffs announced by President Donald Trump earlier this year. While this is an expected result stateside, it is having an adverse effect on cameras sold in Canada, too.
On April 16, The Camera Store in Calgary, Alberta received a notice from Leica USA that advised them that dealer pricing would increase on May 1 due to US tariffs.
“I contacted our rep and asked why Canadians would be subjected to US Tariffs when there are options to legally avoid charging tariffs when exporting to other countries,” Peter Jeune, Managing Director of The Camera Store (TCS) tells PetaPixel.
“They said they wanted price parity between Canada and the US which makes no sense. If an American purchased a Leica product anywhere in the world and brought it back to the US they would still be subject to the tariff. If they purchased in Canada, they would effectively end up paying the tariff twice.”
Jeune says that he asked Leica the same questions back in 2019 when the United States first imposed tariffs on German products and, “they basically said it was too much work” to have different pricing in Canada and the US.
“I asked them to reconsider last week. I was told today that this is their final decision,” Jeune says. As a result, Canadians should expect to see a 7% increase in price to Leica products.
This morning, Leica USA confirmed that pricing is going up for both regions. To add greater context to what was told to Jeune, the company says its choice is one that it is forced to make due to how it manages imports into North America.
“I can confirm that the tariff price adjustment will impact the Canadian market similarly to the US, as Leica Camera North America operates out of the US, with all imports managed through its US headquarters before reaching Canada,” Nathan Kellum-Pathe, Trade Marketing & Product Communications Manager at Leica Camera explains to PetaPixel.
“While the current tariff timeline prevents structural changes for now, Leica Camera North America is actively exploring ways to better support Canadian customers, including the possibility of establishing Canada as its own subsidiary within Leica’s global sales network.”
Trump tariffs are having wide-reaching effects, including forcing some brands to put off bringing new products into the US. It has already forced Fujifilm to halt shipments of multiple cameras into the US entirely and Canon had to answer multiple questions about its business model in 2025 during its Q1 sales report. Blackmagic canceled plans to build a factory in the US due to the increased cost of tariffs and Ilford film saw a price increase. While unconfirmed, Canon also announced a new lens yesterday that is arriving in basically all global regions except the United States and it’s hard to imagine any other reason as to why that might be the case.
Image credits: Leica
