Tariff threats? Check labels, buy Canadian

Choosing local products can help our economy, and even your wallet

It seems like only yesterday U.S. logging tariffs forced us to start reading the origin labels on the products we bought, so we could try to reduce the impact of powerful foreign entities on the Canadian economy. But it wasn’t yesterday; it was 2018, and here we are in 2025 with a similar situation unfolding. Trade wars. Tariffs. It’s all very confusing and, while these international political wranglings might seem a world away from our Edmonton neighbourhoods, the consequences are sure to hit very close to home as we anticipate rising prices on a wide range of products and services.

So what can we do this time to help ease the burden on our economy, and our wallets? Just like in 2018, buying Canadian and buying local is a great start.

Last time, we learned that Heinz is produced in the U.S. but French’s is Canadian made (though everyone always forgets about Primo ketchup, which is Canadian made and Canadian owned), and if we take a little time while shopping it can be simple to check the origins of the things we buy. We all have our favourite Canadian fruits, and everything from craft beer to cosmetics can be made by Canadian manufacturers and bought from Canadian retailers. Packaging will always state the country of origin, but you can also check resources such as madeincanadadirectory.ca, which will allow you to search for products made in Canada with options to view by province and city if you want to narrow your search.

Once you start paying attention to all this, it’s surprising how quickly you figure out what is and is not Canadian. As a recent This Hour Has 22 Minutes sketch pointed out, “New York Fries, Boston Pizza… basically if there’s an American city in the name, it’s probably Canadian.” And when it comes to products, “if it sounds English or French, it’s probably Canadian.”

Canadian products may cost more in some cases — understandably, people have to buy what they can afford. But in the long run, buying locally should help insulate from fluctuating prices in what is likely to be an uncertain global economy over the coming years. Keeping that money within our local economy makes it stronger and more resilient to external forces.

Data from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business suggests that only a small fraction of a dollar spent at a foreign-owned company stays within the local economy (11 cents per dollar), while a much larger portion stays here (66 cents per dollar) when shopping at a locally owned business. Ordering online is a part of modern life, but supporting local businesses has never been more important and we have such a rich variety of options available for us to take advantage of.