Poll Question
With the advent of an antagonistic, or maybe hostile, administration to the south, and the threats made by Trump to our country, this month we’re asking about the actions you’ve taken in response, and whether there are nice surprises you’ve discovered along the way?
Results and Discussion
By now, most of us are likely aware of the impact the changes we’ve made to our shopping habits has had, both on the Canadian and on the American economies.
News articles and posts on social media encourage support for local businesses, warn about product mislabelling, clarify which companies are actually Canadian (and which are Maple-washing), and highlight the distinction between “Made in Canada” and “Product of Canada” (“Made in Canada” requires only that the product be substantially transformed in Canada, with at least 51% of total costs incurred domestically, while “Product of Canada” requires that more than 98% of total costs be Canadian in origin).
Pulling together a number of those sources where figures are cited, and estimating the dollar-impact based on existing sectoral baselines, provides us with a figure of a net economic shift away from the U.S. economy and toward the Canadian economy of more than $5 billion.
Of course, this is far from an accurate picture of how our economy is being affected by the Trump trade wars and political instability, but it’s an interesting vignette of what’s possible when we value the incredibly assets, capabilities, and resources that we have here at home.
As proponents of the Greenbelt and its role in protecting farmland, water, and natural habitat, it won’t surprise you that we extend this consideration to those assets, believing that they represent some of what makes Canada great as a country.
As for your responses to our survey on how the shift in relationship with our southern neighbours has changed your behaviour, far more of you are buying Canadian-made products (we didn’t make the distinction between Made in and Product of), as well as rallying others to do the same.
Half of you have also cancelled trips to the U.S.
We also asked an open-ended question, which, following the choices noted in the chart above, asked, “What tips do you have? Have you discovered any pleasant surprises—like a local store or a Canadian-made product—that you’d love to share with others?”
We can’t include all the answers here, so a curated few are:
Anne L shared a couple of newly discovered businesses that have been a pleasant surprise – “Moon Flour Bakery Henson Razors”;
Janet L. said, “The most pleasant surprise I have experienced is that everyone I speak to is thinking the same way in regards to buying Canadian and avoiding U.S. products. Everywhere I go I see a new patriotism that I have not experienced for some years. This is what our country has needed for a long time, I hope it continues.“
An anonymous respondent shared that they, “Use library to minimize reading/data costs. Sift through media that don’t research their pronouncements. Circulate factual articles to counterbalance those bias to one MYOPIC view.”
And finally,
Kathy D. said, “Buy Canadian on Etsy.ca and ebay.ca. Canadian Soup and products at Vinces markets.”
