Ontario Premier Doug Ford recently said consumers should start purchasing more Canadian products whenever possible, due to the likelihood of tariffs and other economic challenges the new administration in the United States will introduce in the days ahead. The premier is right, we should be prioritizing Canadian-made products when we are making purchases. The problems with that are finding them, being able to afford them, and if such items even exist. That needs to change.
There is no such thing as a truly Canadian automobile. Every automobile manufactured and/or sold in Canada is produced by an American, European, or Asian company. Yes, American automakers have made exclusively Canadian models, but parts were often made elsewhere, and the head office was still in Detroit.
Clothing made in Canada is difficult to find, and if it is available, it is more expensive than the foreign-made merchandise that dominates store racks. It may be affordable to own one or two all-Canadian articles of clothing, but otherwise, wearing things not made here is generally unavoidable. Good, reliable Canadian clothing brands like Great Western Garment (GWG) jeans, Glenayr “Kitten” of Lanark, and Deacon Brothers Sportswear of Belleville are gone. Even longtime garment makers such as Stanfield’s are now making some of their products in Asian countries. Our once strong textile industry that made everything from Ayers blankets in Lachute to Caldwell towels in Iroquois, has largely disappeared. Spinrite of Listowel, Ontario, is the only major yarn manufacturer left in Canada.
Canadian-made food products are easier to find, particularly with so many local and regional options. However, most of the national brands found in stores and on cupboard shelves are Canadian versions of American products with bilingual packaging. American companies like Campbell Soup, which once had four branch plants in Canada, now have none.
A few measures are needed to better ensure Canadian products are available to consumers in all parts of the country. The focus on trade needs to be east-west, not the current north-south and overseas. There are barriers, both financially and logistically, to trade between the provinces and territories. It is time for that to end. We also need to stop letting cheaply made foreign goods get dumped in our market and squeeze out domestic products. Government intervention is required in some of these examples, but business also needs to do its part by taking the initiative.
When hourly Canadian content requirements were introduced for music played on radio stations in the 1970’s, the MAPL (Music, Artist, Performance, Lyrics) system of criteria was developed to help radio station personnel select songs to meet the requirements. A similar system should be adopted for Canadian consumers to help them choose products made from raw materials or ingredients that originate here, are processed here, and by Canadian workers at Canadian-owned companies. This information would help consumers easily choose Canadian products, and it could possibly increase the sale of those products.
If we are serious about protecting our economic independence, we need to make it easier for Canadian products to be manufactured and purchased.
