The threat of tariffs and U.S. annexation has united Canadians behind the maple leaf like never before in the flag’s 60-year history.
The last time Canadians were this united was in the 1940s when they saved, sacrificed and volunteered to fight that fiend Adolph Hitler.
A couple of less unifying times were the 1960s Bomarc missile incident when John Diefenbaker refused to allow American nuclear missiles in Canada and when the United State was angry because Canada would not join the “weapons of mass destruction” invasion of Iraq.
Other than flying the flag there isn’t much to do to show support by Canadians.
The seemingly newfound patriotism expresses itself in the buy Canadian movement.
Buying Canadian-made products isn’t easy. Not many exist.
First buyers ought to know the difference between the labels Made in Canada and Product of Canada.
The law allows the Made in Canada label if only 52 per cent of the product is Canadian.
Example: for years honey producers complained that cheap imported Chinese honey was blended with a bit of Canadian honey, put in an expensive container and sold as Made in Canada.
To be labelled Product of Canada requires 98 per cent of the product be Canadian.
Even then the product may be made by an American-owned company.
Buying Canadian is difficult because as a trading nation, we have relied on other countries to supply low-priced goods.
That factor and a branch plant economy have reduced the choice of Canadian-made products.
As global companies consolidated they withdrew or closed branch plants in Canada.
That means, for example, we have no beer can manufacturer in Canada, among other products.
The threats to Canada are an opportunity to return to more self-reliance in our own industry. The same threats offer incentive to think differently.
Every day drivers to Regina see the warm fumes from the two Belle Plaine plants. Why not use that heat to produce greenhouse vegetables and reduce imports?
For Canadians wanting a better handle on what products they can buy as an alternative to American items, a couple of people have developed applications for smartphones.
Son and mother Ryan and Cathy Checora of Calgary built an iPhone app to assist buyers in obtaining Canadian products. An android phone version is in the works.
By scanning a bar code, the buyer can discover information from the product’s origination to owners of the maker.
A site at saskmade.ca offers connections to a variety of food, crafts, gifts and so on.
The site shoplocalcanada.ca has limited Canadian products since 2018.
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
