If you currently search Google Trends, as journalists and weirdos do, you can see sharp spikes in the last month for the word “tariffs” (for obvious reasons) and the phrase “Canadian products.”
Locals are talking about both, of course.
In a recent interview with The Squamish Chief, the mayor noted that he always aims to buy Canadian first. Most of us likely think we should and assume we do, but we probably didn’t think about it much before the U.S. threat of 25% tariffs shot across our collective maple leaf-adorned bow.
It is heartening to see our flag-waving Canadian pride again.
Sites like madeinca.ca help consumers find Canadian items to purchase. (When you search “Squamish” on the site, it shows Samurai and Arcturian bikes are built by Mike Truelove here in town.)
According to the federal Competition Bureau, to be labelled a “Product of Canada,” at least 98% of the total direct costs of producing or manufacturing the product being sold has to have been incurred in Canada.
To have the “Made in Canada” label, (a) the last substantial transformation of the good has to have occurred in Canada; (b) at least 51% of the total direct costs of producing or manufacturing the good have to have been incurred in Canada; and (c) the item has to have a qualifier, such as “60% Canadian content and 40% imported content.”
We should all buy Canadian and Squamish first as often as we can.
Everyone seems on board with that, especially now.
But a self-absorbed pet peeve of mine as the editor of the local media outlet is that this conversation rarely, at least so far, centres on supporting media.
We are a business, too.
As much as editors and reporters operate separately from our sales department in terms of story decisions and the like, we know that ours and the paper’s livelihood rely primarily on the business owners who buy ads and the locals who buy memberships. We are funded by local consumers, in other words, just like all the other businesses in town.
If you are a local business or organization and spend all your marketing dollars on foreign U.S.-based social media companies—and then ask us to shop locally—that seems, well, wildly hypocritical.
As shocking and upsetting as this recent trade war is, it is also an opportunity for all of us to strengthen our Canadianness and put our dollars where our hearts are.
We hope that this process includes your friendly Canadian, Squamish media outlet, too.
