Is that made in Canada? Londoners take steps to buy Canadian amid tariff threat
U.S. President Trump paused plans to unleash a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods Monday
More London retailers and shoppers are joining a movement to support Canadian-made goods and shop local in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's on-and-off plan to place hefty tariffs on Canadian goods.
"I feel like it's important to support the people around you, and there's no better way to do that than by supporting companies in shopping locally," said Brandon Tremblett, who owns Your Independent Grocer in London's Wortley neighbourhood.
Tremblett and his staff are putting Canadian flag signage on some of their shelves and products to make them easier to identify for customers.
"We're calling out all Canadian products: Canadian-made and Canadian-owned," said Tremblett. "If you shop around the store, you'll notice Canadian flags and Canadian flag stickers on the products."
After weeks of tariff threats, U.S. president Donald Trump agreed to put a pause on his 25 per cent tariff plans Monday afternoon for at least one month after talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to tighten border security.
On Saturday, he announced he'd impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports. To counter U.S. tariffs, Canada slapped back stating it put start with a 25 per cent tariff on $30 billion in goods imported from the U.S.
Tremblett said he is using the website Made in CA, which was first launched in 2018 to determine which products are Canadian-made. The store is also in the process of moving around products so that aisle ends will showcase these goods.
"I just think that the whole idea with what's going on in the United States and Canada is a little bit ridiculous, so I want to do my best to fight against that whole idea," said Eric Lunn, who was shopping at the store on Monday.
He was buying a package of Cashmere toilet paper, which has a "Made in Canada" label in the corner of its plastic wrap.
"I just picked up some products that say 'Made in Canada, but with some imported goods,'" said Lunn. "There's not much you can do about it, but do your best to get all Canadian."
LISTEN: How easy it is to buy only Canadian?
Last week, Western University marketing professor Mark Cleveland told CBC's London Morning that Canadian-made products are not always as Canadian as they seem.
Only 51 per cent of the direct costs of producing or manufacturing a product needs to happen in Canada for it to have a "Made in Canada" label, he said.
"I will be bothering to take the time to check the labels and avoid produce from the United States," said Dallas Hart, a shopper at the Wortley Your Independent Grocer store on Monday.
Hart and Lunn both said that while they have thought about buying locally in the past, they have not felt prompted to act until hearing about the looming tariffs.
"I feel it's an important message to send to the United States," Hart said.
Shopping quality local ingredients
Churis Bread, which has two locations in London, has been shopping Canadian since the family-owned bakery first opened in 2022.
"We should support ourselves, the community and the local business," said owner Emerson Silva. "I think it's good to keep the economy and the pride of our country strong."
Silva said he buys his staple ingredients, including flour, dairy and oil, from suppliers that carry Canadian-made products, which he said tends to be better quality.
The only exceptions to his rule are products he can't get high-quality in Canada, such as chocolate. He said he does not purchase any of his bakery's ingredients from the U.S.
"American dairy used to be cheaper than Canadian, but in my opinion, the Canadian one is a high-quality product," Silva said. "It's superior to the American one, even if it's a higher price, because our view is that our bakery makes all the products using the best ingredients possible.
He said buying Canadian ingredients makes some of his bakery's products more expensive than those at a chain grocery store.
Pam Morgan, who created an app that helps people find locally-produced groceries, says the idea that all Canadian-made products are more expensive is a myth.
"There seems to be a stigma that if you buy local, then you're paying more," she said. "That's not always the case. There's lots of great deals that can be found local and you're saving on packaging costs when there's no cost involved if it's not coming from another country."
Morgan, who is from Mitchell, Ont., started Farm Fresh Finder in 2023. The free app has an interactive map with over 400 local produce, meat, egg, honey and alcohol vendors in Ontario. The app is free for users to download and for vendors to list their business.
"The whole purpose of this app is to make it more accessible for people to just easily find local at their doorstep," Morgan said.
Morgan said buying local groceries helps the local economy, reduces people's carbon footprint and often makes for better quality food.
"We have such a wealth of agriculture in this area that you can't find in any other country, and we should take advantage of that," she said.
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