A “Buy Canadian” movement is reportedly having an impact on the retail market in Canada as consumers in the country react to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
Trump hinted at 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods soon after winning the 2024 presidential election and followed through on the proposal with an order on 1 February. Just days later, Trump paused the tariffs, citing concessions by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In response to Trump’s tariff threats, premiers from all 13 Canadian provinces visited Washington D.C. on 12 February – the first time a premier from every province jointly participated in an international visit. The premiers met with political leaders in the U.S. to advocate for maintaining Canada-U.S. relations.
While Trump paused the tariffs for 30 days and Canada’s leaders work on a more permanent agreement, Canadian consumers have apparently decided to take matters into their own hands, the CBC reported. Consumers told the media they were boycotting American products in response to Trump’s tariff threats.
The Toronto Sun reported a survey performed on 1,590 Canadians by market research firm Leger found that 81 percent have significantly increased the amount of Canadian-made products they are buying.
According to the CBC, the “Buy Canadian” movement has already started to change how and where people are shopping.
Grocery store owner Marilyn Dib told the CBC many people are purchasing only Canadian-made products.
“They are completely boycotting the American made product,” she said.
Canadian border security posts have also reported big drops in south-bound crossings with average wait times at the Canada-U.S. border in Blaine, Washington dropping from 19 minutes to just 5 minutes...
