'Buy Canadian': Meet the Consumers Boycotting American Products as Trade Rift Widens

When Lynn Henderson walks into her local grocery store in British Columbia, she has one label at the top of her mind: “Made in Canada.” The 47-year-old is among a drive of The resurgence of the “Buy Canadian” movement comes amid a deepening on U.S. goods took effect Tuesday, with Prime Minister.

While Carney’s government is going toe-to-toe with the Trump Administration, he’s urging the general population to take action, too.

“The most powerful actions have come from you: Buying Canadian and travelling in Canada,” Carney told Canadians in aCanadian consumers have responded en masse to the call. A Build Canada poll also indicate a surge in demand for Canadian products.

As the trade war stretches on, here’s what to know about the revitalized “Buy Canadian” movement, the people behind the U.S. products boycott, and what the data says about the effectiveness of the consumer-driven action.

The resurgence of the "Buy Canadian" movement

Campaigns promoting Canadian-made goods date back at least to the earlyThe movement skyrocketed last year in the midst of the trade war sparked by Trump’s, with Canada-based media publishing advisories on “

As the tariffs loomed in February 2025, aThe reignited trade rift has revived Henderson’s passion for patriotic shopping, and she’s actively refrained from purchasing items, such as a new iPhone, that don’t align with her efforts. “I don’t want to spend that money to support an American business,” she says.

Henderson’s efforts extend beyond traditional shopping, as she’s also now avoiding U.S. travel.

“I live very close to the border. It used to be very common to just [cross over] and go to Seattle, go to Trader Joe's, or outlet malls, and we will not do that now,” she says. ”We’d rather explore Canada.”

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.

Although she prioritizes Canadian products, Henderson is also open to items from other countries.

“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.”

Brian Leonard, a 37-year-old who works in the coffee industry and lives in New Brunswick, is similarly passionate when he heads to the grocery store, and firmly believes in starting each day with a “Buy Canadian” mindset.

“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 way in which Canadians have been re-energized to support more local products has been “astounding,” Leonard adds. “I had a call yesterday, and the person mentioned they had switched dish soap because they realized the soap they were buying was American-made,” he says.

The topic of patriotic shopping is dominating business groups on Facebook and elsewhere, bringing further attention to the movement.

These social media groups have become a gateway for people to come together when seeking out Canadian alternatives to U.S. products. The " Facebook group, for example, boasts 1.4 million members. Similarly, the Reddit forum—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.”

However, even someone as dedicated to the movement as Jeejeebhoy struggles to find alternatives for everything.

“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.”

Leonard identifies with the struggle, admitting it can be “overwhelming to a lot of people to try to completely overhaul everything they buy,” as people have different budgets and needs.

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 shift away from American products could have significant economic consequences for Canada, where the U.S. accounted forThe

“If we are directing C$10 billion or so of economic activity back into Canada, that would otherwise be bleeding out to the U.S., then that's a direct benefit,” Robert Kavcic, director and senior economist at BMO, tells TIME.

The Bank of Canada released anKavcic explains that “a certain share of that spending is now reallocated domestically,” thus benefiting the Canadian economy.

“I don't know if Canadians can do a lot more than what they have already, because there's a cost to that. There are certain families or workers that have to travel back and forth to the U.S., and there's a cost to buying Canadian,” he says.

Despite these challenges, statistics from the