Close X
    Thursday, October 31, 2024
    ADVT 
    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.
       
       
      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

      World's Southern-Most Polar Bears Now Declining After Years Of Stability: Survey

      An exhaustive survey of the world's most southerly polar bears has found a significant drop in their numbers.

      World's Southern-Most Polar Bears Now Declining After Years Of Stability: Survey

      Ottawa Will Work With Canadian Aluminum, Steel Companies To Ensure Jobs Safe: PM

      Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged Friday to work with Canadian companies hit by punishing U.S. tariffs to protect jobs and workers north of the border, but offered no details about what that might mean as the bilateral trade war continued to escalate.

      Ottawa Will Work With Canadian Aluminum, Steel Companies To Ensure Jobs Safe: PM

      Men Must Pass The Baton To Achieve Gender Parity, Female Leaders Say

      Men Must Pass The Baton To Achieve Gender Parity, Female Leaders Say
      HALIFAX — Women make up fewer than a fifth of Canadian mayors, and a group of female leaders say men in power need to pass the baton if such inequities are to change.

      Men Must Pass The Baton To Achieve Gender Parity, Female Leaders Say

      Halifax Legion Bars Group That Questions Immigration, Multiculturalism

      Halifax Legion Bars Group That Questions Immigration, Multiculturalism
      HALIFAX — A Calgary-based group with controversial views on immigration and multiculturalism is no longer allowed to host a town hall at a Royal Canadian Legion in Halifax.

      Halifax Legion Bars Group That Questions Immigration, Multiculturalism

      Calgary Police Say Crown Has Stayed Criminal Charges Against Three Officers

      Calgary Police Say Crown Has Stayed Criminal Charges Against Three Officers
       The Calgary Police Service says the Alberta Crown has stayed criminal charges against three veteran officers.

      Calgary Police Say Crown Has Stayed Criminal Charges Against Three Officers

      Union Files Grievance Over Public School Teacher Shortage In B.C.

      Union Files Grievance Over Public School Teacher Shortage In B.C.
      VANCOUVER — British Columbia's teachers' union has filed a grievance over the shortage of educators in the province. 

      Union Files Grievance Over Public School Teacher Shortage In B.C.

      PrevNext