Demand for Canadian-made products grows, presenting a problem for some businesses

CTV’s Krista Sharpe finds out the challenges of being truly ‘Made in Canada.’

Canadians are preparing for a trade war with the U.S., but untangling the web of cross-border business could prove difficult.

“There’s some interesting navigating to do,” InkSmith CEO Jeremy Hedges told CTV News on Wednesday.

The Kitchener, Ont. company produced millions of “Canadian Shield” face masks during the pandemic. Hedges said they used Canadian-made materials and talent at a time when the U.S. border was literally closed.

“I think we learned the hard way in the pandemic what it meant to be on an island,” Hedges said.

Now, the demand for Canadian-made goods has returned.

Websites like SupportOntarioMade.ca, which lists goods and their source, are getting a lot more clicks than they usually do.

The site is run by Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), a member-based association.

“Last month alone we had 78,000 people visit the website, which is very much higher than it normally was over the last four years,” explained Dennis Darby, CME’s president and CEO. “Normally, it’s maybe 20,000 people.”

He said the website started up during the pandemic and was meant to help consumers connect with local products.

“It raises awareness, and it also allows businesses to talk to each other.”

Darby said it can be difficult to be a 100 per cent Canadian or Ontario company, mainly because the U.S. and Canadian economies have been interdependent for so long.

“On any given day, there are thousands of trucks that are going back and forth between Canada, Ontario and the U.S., and those are carrying... everything from parts, to ingredients, to finished products.”

Hedges, who still runs his companies out of Kitchener, said finding a way to be more domestically dependent will take time.

“It’s going to be a big challenge,” he admitted.