After weeks of threats and negotiations, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian goods and a 10% tariff on energy imports. On Tuesday morning, the tariffs took effect for both Canada and Mexico, prompting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call it "a trade war."
In response, Canada has imposed counter-tariffs on many U.S. goods, including a 25% duty on $30 billion worth of imports, with an additional $125 billion in tariffs set to take effect in three weeks if the situation continues.
While the Canadian government has taken this step to protect jobs and industries at home, it has also led to higher costs on U.S. imports—sparking a growing movement among Canadians to support local brands and products.
When shopping, if you want to support local brands, look for products with "Made in Canada" or "Produced in Canada" labels, and consider buying them instead of other available products. You can find out more about how to check for country of origin on food labels here.
You can also choose to support your local businesses, producers, and farmers instead of larger shops. Click here to find tips on supporting local businesses.
Navigating this new landscape can be challenging. If you're looking to buy Canadian, here’s a curated list of some great Canadian brands and made-in-Canada goods to keep an eye out for on your next shopping trip.
Food
- Dairy: Look for products with the Blue Cow logo, which means they’re made with 100% with Canadian milk and ingredients.
- Eggs: Savör; Ferme Avicole Laviolette; Burnbrae Farms
- Meat and seafood: Sunday Farms; Great Canadian Meat Company
- Snacks and pantry items: Hippie Snacks; Uncle Bob’s popcorn; Cheezies; Quaker Oats Harvest Crunch; Royal Nuts; Hickory Sticks; Dainty, the Rice Company; Kozlik’s Canadian Mustard; French’s ketchup; Heinz ketchup and other sauces
- Fruits and vegetables: GoodLeaf Farms; Harvest Fresh (VegPak Produce); Sunset
- Coffee and tea: Balzac’s Coffee Roasters, Zavida Coffee Roasters; Club Coffee; Kicking Horse Coffee; DavidsTea; Pluck tea; Salt Sprin Coffee
Home supplies
- Toilet paper, paper towels and facial tissue: Royale (While Royale is a Canadian company, two of its five manufacturing plants are located in the U.S. Consumers should check the label to be sure.); Cashmere, Scotties, and SpongeTowels (Kruger); Purex bathroom tissue (Kruger);
- Aluminum foil: Alcan;
- Garbage bags: Glad (The Clorox Company of Canada);
- Cleaning products: The Unscented Company; Nature Clean; Eco-Max; Mighty Wipes (Canada Wipes);
- Laundry detergent and dish soap: Tru Earth, Nature Claen
Clothing and accessories
- Some popular clothing brands worth checking out include Province of Canada; Naked & Famous Denim; Canada West Boots; Local Laundry. Check out this guide to Canadian-made clothing from Made In CA.
Beauty and personal care
- Boo Bamboo (Hush Brands); Green Beaver; Attitude; Diva;
Alcohol
- Wine: Visit Wine Country Ontario for a list of wineries
- Beer, cider, and coolers: Locally-made Collective Arts Brewing; Muskoka Brewery; Ace Hill; Cottage Springs; Georgian Bay or check out Tasting Table for a ranking of popular Canadian beer brands
- Spirits: Visit LCBO and Bartender Atlas for lists of Canadian-made spirits
For more Ontario-made goods, click here.
Have other product swap suggestions? Let us know!
