The resurgence of the “Buy Canadian” movement comes amid a deepening U.S.-Canada trade dispute that shows no signs of waning. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods took effect Tuesday, with Prime Minister Mark Carney matching the economic pressure imposed by the U.S. after trade negotiations collapsed last month. The U.S. has since announced a ban on Canadian dairy, motorcycles, and most alcoholic beverages. It’s all unfolding against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly talking of his ambitions to annex Canada and make it the 51st state.
“The most powerful actions have come from you: Buying Canadian and travelling in Canada,” Carney told Canadians in a national address Tuesday. “Decisions taken at the kitchen table, not the boardroom table.”
Canadian consumers have responded en masse to the call. A Build Canada poll conducted Aug. 31-Sept. 4 found that many are already making sacrifices at the tills, as 69% of respondents reported “choosing Canadian products despite higher prices” and 55% said they had “stopped buying specific American brands.” Reports also indicate a surge in demand for Canadian products.
Campaigns promoting Canadian-made goods date back at least to the early 20th century, when Canadian manufacturers began pushing their “Made in Canada” products.
The movement skyrocketed last year in the midst of the trade war sparked by Trump’s tariffs. Businesses and consumers alike vowed to shun U.S. products, with Canada-based media publishing advisories on “how to shop Canadian."
In late 2025, the Canadian government launched the “Buy Canadian Policy, to protect and prioritize Canadian workers and industries, and strengthen Canada’s domestic economy.”
“Canadians have felt for generations that these are not just our allies, but our friends, and neighbors,” she says. “Nobody wants to be spoken about like that by their friends and neighbors. It's really hurtful.”
Henderson’s efforts extend beyond traditional shopping, as she’s also now avoiding U.S. travel.
How consumers dedicated to the movement are approaching the challenge
Consumers in Canada are finding different ways to navigate how best to boycott U.S. goods and services, putting extra time in at the grocery store to ensure they are buying Canadian as often as they can.
“We're discovering that there's some incredible produce from around the world,” she says. “We don't actually need to get oranges from the U.S. anymore, because we can get oranges from Brazil or South Africa, and they're fantastic.”
“For me, it always begins first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee. Buying coffee that is roasted locally in Canada,” Leonard tells TIME. “The first decision of your day can be something that sets up your whole day to be part of the movement.”
The topic of patriotic shopping is dominating business groups on Facebook and elsewhere, bringing further attention to the movement.
For some, the efforts extend beyond trips to the grocery store and online checkouts.
“These things are really difficult to divest yourself from,” she tells TIME, explaining that she uses the website “Unplug America”—an online initiative aimed at replacing American tech products with Canadian equivalents—for guidance “There are some things in the digital world that Canada does not have, and so I'm looking to the U.K., the E.U., or India for alternatives.”
“My skin doesn't react well to most sunscreens, and as much as I've tried Canadian brands, there's only one American brand that actually works well [for me] at an SPF 50,” she says, admitting it’s proven to be difficult. “So, as much as I want to use the Canadian brand sunscreen, I have to use a particular American product.”
Taking part in the movement doesn’t have to be a rigid commitment, nor does it mean you should deprive yourself of life’s little treats, the consumers who spoke to TIME agreed upon.
Is the Buy Canadian movement working? Here’s what the data says
The Bank of Montreal (BMO) estimated in April 2025, following the initial resurgence of the "Buy Canadian" movement, that the shift in consumer attitudes could redirect roughly C$10 billion to the Canadian economy annually.
The Bank of Canada released an analysis in February “assessing the Buy Canadian movement one year later.”
Kavcic explains that “a certain share of that spending is now reallocated domestically,” thus benefiting the Canadian economy.
Despite these challenges, statistics from the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, for the first quarter of 2026 over the last 12 months, found that 16.6% of businesses had changed their marketing to promote Canadian products. Among retailers, the figure was 41.6%, showing a clear push toward promoting domestically made goods.
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