Daniel Smeenk / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter / The Lake Report Jamie-Lynn Jones, manager at Cool as a Moose, is proud of its Canadian content. She said that since the Buy Canadian movement started, she has seen more Canadian and international visitors to her store.
Daniel Smeenk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Lake Report
Last year, the start of the Canada-U.S. tariff war ignited an era of uncertainty for Canada’s economy.
The nation began a pivot to find prosperity outside of its relationship with its neighbours down south, which, with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s relationship-building trips to India and China this winter, is continuing.
Enter, the “buy Canadian” movement — a major push by Canadian consumers, politicians and companies to direct the collective spending power of the nation toward Canadian goods and services.
Here in Niagara-on-the-Lake, while some business owners say shoppers have taken a greater interest in supporting all things Canadian, one says there are factors beyond what people choose to buy impacting the success of homegrown products.
Tony Hendriks, who owns Your Independent Grocer in Old Town, said the “buy Canadian” sentiment is still going strong with its customers.
“Our customers still feel very passionate about buying Canadian products and supporting Canadian jobs,” he said via email.
“The Canada flags have now been incorporated into our electronic shelf labels. Sales of Canadian made and produced products remains much higher than before any tariff talk.”
Data from the Bank of Canada supports that view: while tracking consumer buying patterns can be difficult, the bank reported a two per cent increase in purchases of Canadian food products beginning last March.
The increase continued through the summer and coincided with a two per cent drop in purchases of American products.
Jamie-Lynn Jones, manager of Cool as a Moose on Queen Street, sells Niagara-on-the-Lake and Canada-themed souvenirs to tourists. She said the Cool as a Moose brand and its parent company, Coastal Culture, have always emphasized Canadian products.
“We’ve always been a really Canadian store,” said Jones. “We’re about 75 per cent either designed or made in Canada.”
Since last March Break, she has seen a “huge” increase in Canadian customers, particularly from Ontario. Many appear to be choosing to travel within the province rather than cross the border.
“It seemed to be a lot of people that wanted to somewhere within three hours of home,” said Jones. “But they were choosing to stay on this side of the border, than go to the American side.”
The Bank of Canada also reported a sharp shift in travel patterns, with 25 per cent fewer Canadian visits to the United States in 2025 compared with 2024.
However, over at Your Independent Grocer in Virgil, Phil Leboudec said the “buy Canadian” campaign hasn’t significantly affected his store.
“I think they appreciated the exposure, so they could make informed choices,” he said.
Leboudec said his store does not track product origins and does not have data on where the products customers buy are made. Loblaw manages product sourcing, and his store has not made a deliberate shift to Canadian suppliers.
The global nature of supply chains, he said, means decisions about buying Canadian often happen beyond the store level.
“I’m just the end guy,” said Leboudec.
Still, he believes broader changes may be underway.
“Even a year’s not a long time to change supply chains,” said Leboudec. “There’s contracts that have to be done, there’s growing regions have to expand, there’s just all kinds of things.”
At the higher level, back in December, the federal government introduced a “buy Canadian” policy to ensure Canadian products and workers are prioritized in federal procurement decisions, affecting contracts valued at $25 million or more.
daniel@niagaranow.com
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