The goal with converting to a focus on buying Canadian is multi-faceted.
While many of us are angered by what some see as an American betrayal of its relationship to Canada, those south of us see it merely as a retrenchment of USA rights to protect their position. A large swath of Canadians is retaliating by rejecting American products and services, as much as possible.
Others merely want to see us reward Canadian entrepreneurship and support homegrown business.
Still more want to see a re-balancing of trade relations.
But the concept of “Buy Canadian” is not simple. There are many areas where Canadian business cannot compete effectively, because we do not have the resources or the technological sophistication. Sometimes, it is the mighty clout of massive size and volume that keep us from competing, making many products and providing many services. Think of trying to compete, dollar for dollar, with Amazon or Microsoft. Not impossible, but improbable. Of course, growing turmeric or oranges is not economically feasible at this time, given our climate.
On the other hand, there are emerging areas where we are becoming competitive, and others where we simply have opted not to compete. There are myriad other places, though, where our abilities and resources have remained hidden from Canadian consumers.
Ironically, the biggest foreign investor in the Canadian economy is the US, with almost half of our foreign investment dollars coming from south of the border. Many (the oil industry, lumber yards, and the steel industry, for instance) of the businesses being subjected to tariffs in Canada are American owned. Many other companies are partially owned or invested in by traders south of the border.
The “Canadian Alternatives” pages are intended to uncover those hidden secrets and offer viable alternatives to American products. Remember, it is the Americans that fired the first volleys at the world, and we are not at war with the world. Many non-USA options are open in every field, and we should consider doing business with those allies and fair traders. In addition to Canadian alternatives to American businesses, goods and services, our website also will offer non-USA global solutions.