National

#BuyCanadian: Pocketbook Patriotism Takes Off Amid U.S. Trade Tensions

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Jun, 2018 11:42 AM

Social media users are pledging to #BuyCanadian amid a simmering trade standoff with the U.S., but experts say pocketbook patriotism may have unintended consequences on both sides of the border.

Bonnie Hallman of Winnipeg says she cancelled a long-desired trip to Alaska shortly after President Donald Trump took aim at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for pushing back against American tariffs on steel and aluminum.

The 53-year-old says she's now booked to visit P.E.I. next summer because she would rather spend her dollars towards supporting Canadian tourism.

I have always tried to buy Canadian products first & foremost, but given the current trade enviro, I will ensure I do from now on! No disrespect to my US friends, but I must stand behind & defend Canadian goods. #cdnpoli #BuyCanadian #NAFTA #TradeWar #trade #Canada #Ontario pic.twitter.com/wfaXwD5Rlm
— Quarkybirdy 🇨🇦 (@Quarkybirdy) June 13, 2018

First trump-free grocery cart. Focusing on great Canadian products and those from countries with stronger leadership. #buycanadian #trumpfree pic.twitter.com/XHgGJNtzcJ
— Scott Chamberlain (@scottawan) June 10, 2018

Want to stick it to Trump? Stop buying American...no American products. No spending at American stores (Walmart is a good start, McDonalds etc..) no cross border shopping for the summer. Show this fool his isolationism only hurts his constituents.#buycanadian #ohcanada
— Dan Gowette (@digemden) June 11, 2018

I bought local strawberries @ $6 last night instead of the California ones at half the price. I'm done playing. #BuyCanadian
— Athena (@tinsbabe) June 11, 2018

Just cancelled all plans to go to California, will be discovering our own beautiful east coast by road this fall!! :) #BoycottUSA #BuyCanadian
— Hamad E (@Realistology) June 13, 2018

Went grocery shopping. Took twice as long. Checking all labels for origin of product/produce. Put back all American produce and bought Mexican, Chilean,South African and Australian. Put back all Heinz products and replaced with French #buycanadian #fuusa
— Daniel (@minnow54) June 12, 2018

Scott Chamberlain, a father of four in Ottawa, says he's been trying to fill his grocery cart with mostly homegrown goods to bolster the Canadian producers who could be hardest hit by cross-border friction over trade.

Robert Wolfe, a professor emeritus at Queen's University's School of Policy Studies, says the #BuyCanadian movement could fan the flames of a trade war in which no side would prevail unscathed.

He says the mirror of 'buy Canadian' is 'buy American,' which could have a detrimental impact on Canadian companies trading in the U.S. market.

"If it starts to escalate the Canada-U.S. tensions so that Americans begin to think we're actually just mad at them, as opposed to mad at their president, that could be difficult for Canada-U.S. relations, and ultimately, not good for the economy."

Food economist Mike von Massow of the University of Guelph says a show of Canadian fiscal solidarity may buttress the country's position in trade negotiations, but swearing off American-made products is easier said than done.

An online poll conducted by Abacus Data between June 1 to 6 — after Trump said he would impose tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel but before trade tensions erupted at last week's G7 summit in Quebec — found that more than half of 2,200 Canadian surveyed reported that they intend to avoid buying U.S. wines and cross-border shopping.

The polling industry's professional body, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Justin Trudeau Won't Meet With Capt Amarinder Singh Behind Sikh Separatist Controversy

Capt was to accompany Trudeau to the temple and a nearby museum.

Justin Trudeau Won't Meet With Capt Amarinder Singh Behind Sikh Separatist Controversy

Pattullo Bridge To Be Replaced With Province-Owned $1.4 Billion Bridge

Replacing the Pattullo Bridge between Surrey and New Westminster will cost $1.37 billion and will be funded solely by the British Columbia government.

Pattullo Bridge To Be Replaced With Province-Owned $1.4 Billion Bridge

Vancouver Police Say The City's Sixth Homicide Of 2018 Was A Targeted Shooting

A 32-year-old Surrey man was found critically injured on a street in the city's Kerrisdale neighbourhood.

Vancouver Police Say The City's Sixth Homicide Of 2018 Was A Targeted Shooting

Wheels Up For India: Justin Trudeau Takes Wing On Trade Mission To India, Where Sikh Politics Loom

India is the world's second-largest country by population and one of the world's fastest growing economies -- one that's expected to overtake Great Britain later this year to become the fifth largest in the world.

Wheels Up For India: Justin Trudeau Takes Wing On Trade Mission To India, Where Sikh Politics Loom

B.C. Ride-hailing Report Makes 32 Recommendations To Pave Way For Regulations

An all-party committee in the British Columbia legislature is unanimous in supporting a provincewide plan for ride-hailing services in the province.

B.C. Ride-hailing Report Makes 32 Recommendations To Pave Way For Regulations

Parole Board Rules Out Overnight Leaves For Balaclava Rapist Larry Takahashi

Larry Takahashi is serving three life sentences for multiple counts of rape, aggravated sexual assault and other attacks on 23 women in the Edmonton area in the 1970s and '80s.