Tricks for buying Canadian, which isn’t as easy as it sounds

As Trump's tariff threats ignite a push to boycott American goods, CTV News has some tips for consumers looking to buy Canadian.

Garret Olson and his partner opened their Victoria coffee shop, Routine Coffee & Supply, two days before U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was imposing massive tariffs on Canada and the federal government announced it was levying retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods.

He welcomed Monday’s one-month reprieve from tariffs, but he’s still bracing for their potential return. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs would apply to the roasted beans Routine brews, some of which are imported from the States. He said he plans to order extra beans in the coming days, before any potential tariffs do materialize.

“Gives us a little brief window (to order beans) once or twice before then,” Olson said Tuesday, between making a steady stream of coffees at his bustling new business.

The jolt of the trade tensions, has motivated some customers who love coffee to shop here.

“Given everything that’s happening in the states right now, a lot of Canadians are feeling urged to buy Canadian products,” one customer told CTV News Tuesday.

Many British Columbians have been echoing that sentiment this week, but the challenge is determining exactly what goods are Canadian, and how Canadian they really are.

For produce – fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy – it’s easy. Stores indicate where the items are grown or raised, and it’s usually not much more complicated than that.

Identifying the origin of packaged goods is much trickier. Maple leaf logos abound on many products, but the labels and specific words matter.

“I don’t think it’s as easy as going to the store and pointing at the Canadian product and saying, ‘OK, I’ve done my duty,” said SFU marketing Prof. Srabana Dasgupta on Tuesday.

She explained that under federal government rules, the label “made in Canada” means the last substantial step in putting the product together took place in Canada and at least 51 per cent of the ingredients are Canadian. Such products are not as Canadian as those with a “product of Canada” label, which indicates at least 98 per cent of the product’s ingredients are from Canada.

Even items considered “classic” Canadian, like Lays ketchup potato chips, aren’t fully Canadian. Those chips are labelled “made in Canada,” not “product of Canada.”

“It’s virtually impossible to purely buy Canadian,” noted Dasgupta.

But an army of shoppers facing the spectre of a trade war are motivated to check the labels closer than ever.