Close X
    Tuesday, November 5, 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

      A Woman And Girl From Florida Dead In Snowmobile Accident In Eastern B.C.: RCMP

      A woman and a girl from Florida have died in a snowmobile accident in eastern British Columbia.

      A Woman And Girl From Florida Dead In Snowmobile Accident In Eastern B.C.: RCMP

      Ancient B.C. Footprints Confirmed As Earliest Known In North America

      Ancient B.C. Footprints Confirmed As Earliest Known In North America
      Dozens of ancient footprints discovered on a British Columbia island have been confirmed as the earliest known of their kind in North America.

      Ancient B.C. Footprints Confirmed As Earliest Known In North America

      Vancouver Police Say 9-Yr-Old Boy Allegedly Abducted By Mother Shawana Chaudhary Found In Arizona

      Vancouver Police Say 9-Yr-Old Boy Allegedly Abducted By Mother Shawana Chaudhary Found In Arizona
      Vancouver police say a nine-year-old boy allegedly abducted by his mother has been found safe near Phoenix, Ariz.

      Vancouver Police Say 9-Yr-Old Boy Allegedly Abducted By Mother Shawana Chaudhary Found In Arizona

      John Horgan Says Monthly Child Care Fees To Drop $350 On April 1 For Some Parents

      Premier John Horgan says support in the budget for child care is among the first steps towards the NDP's promise of a $10-a-day program.

      John Horgan Says Monthly Child Care Fees To Drop $350 On April 1 For Some Parents

      Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson To Apologize To Residents Of Chinese Descent For Past Wrongs

      Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson says he will formally apologize for past discrimination against residents of Chinese descent.

      Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson To Apologize To Residents Of Chinese Descent For Past Wrongs

      Port Alberni RCMP Say Six-Year-Old Child's Death Considered ‘Suspicious'

      Port Alberni RCMP Say Six-Year-Old Child's Death Considered ‘Suspicious'
      Port Alberni RCMP say they are treating the death of a six-year-old child as "suspicious."

      Port Alberni RCMP Say Six-Year-Old Child's Death Considered ‘Suspicious'

      PrevNext