In Canada's Grocery Carts, a Boycott U.S.A. Movement Starts Rolling ​

OTTAWA—Ticked-off Canadians, irked by U.S. metals tariffs and President Trump’s harsh words for their prime minister, are boycotting American products and buying Canadian.

“Usually we don’t pay that much attention to it,” said Garland Coulson, an entrepreneur from Spruce Grove, Alberta. “You tend to buy the products that taste good or you buy the products that are low in price where taste isn’t an issue.”

But the 58-year-old, who called the tariffs from Canada’s close trading partner a “slap in the face,” said he has in recent weeks put more Canadian products into his shopping cart.


Calgary resident Tracy Martell, meanwhile, replaced her Betty Crocker brownie mix with a homemade recipe and hasn’t visited the U.S. since shortly after President Trump’s inauguration. Beth Mouratidis, who lives in Barrie, Ontario, is trying out Strub’s pickles as a replacement for her longtime favorite, Bick’s.

The push to buy more Canadian products—and to boycott American ones—gained strength after the U.S. levied 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and 10% on aluminum starting June 1 and President Trump called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “Very dishonest & weak” on Twitter following a Group of Seven meeting the following week. Canada in turn imposed retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. products, including foodstuffs such as ketchup, orange juice and yogurt.

“People sort of feel that we’re getting a raw deal from the U.S. and we have to stick up for ourselves,“ said Tom Legere, marketing manager for Ontario-based Kawartha Dairy Ltd., which has seen more interest in its ice cream recently. “And this is their way at the supermarket of trying to do so.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/in-canadas-grocery-carts-a-boycott-usa-movement-starts-rolling-%e2%80%8b/ar-BBLu0TJ?li=BBnbfcN