Many months into a trade war brought on by tariffs and economic threats brought on by U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, Canadian consumers have continued to fight back by supporting and promoting a “buy Canadian” movement.
When it comes to the food on their tables, a new poll from Narrative Research shows that Canadians are, “in large measure,” willing to pay more for goods they know for certain are Canadian.
The firm polled 1,230 Canadian adults earlier this month, asking them if they would choose groceries costing $120 guaranteed to be “entirely from farms in Canada” or pay $100 for the same goods, but wholly from U.S. farms.
More than three-quarters (76 per cent) would choose the Canadian products.
“This finding is true regardless of region in Canada, and most importantly, regardless of income level,” Narrative noted.
Geographically, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were the most committed at 87 per cent, while across age groups, the 55-plus cohort had the highest buy-in at 84 per cent.
The pollster took it a step further, asking the 76 per cent who were willing to pay up to $120 if they’d spend an additional $20, bringing their Canadian cart total to $140, or pay $100 for the U.S. products.
Again, the majority (70 per cent) insisted they’d stay true and buy Canadian and there were negligible differences across age, geography and gender.
New Brunswickers (81 per cent) were most willing to go even further, whereas those in B.C. and Canada’s north were slightly less obliging (65 per cent) than the national average.
“It’s extraordinarily clear that Canadians are still very much seeking Canadian products to purchase, and now we have clear evidence that they feel so strongly that a strong majority is willing to pay more for Canadian products,” Narrative COO and partner Margaret Chapman stated in a news release.
“Although many trends fade with time, the buy Canadian sentiment is clearly enduring.”
Because respondents were given a hypothetical pairwise choice — judging between two things to decide which is their most preferred — there is no margin for error with this poll.
As for Canada-U.S. trade negotiations, when asked about a Globe and Mail report that suggested a sectoral deal with the U.S. could be ready to sign in time for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea at month’s end, Prime Minister Mark Carney was dubious.
“We’ll see. We are in ongoing discussions with the Americans, and I wouldn’t overplay it,” he said in Ottawa, as reported by Reuters.
Meanwhile, starting next month, a new federal policy will come into effect requiring the government to use Canadian suppliers and require local content when there are no domestic suppliers available. It will first apply to steel and softwood lumber products in defence and construction projects exceeding yet-to-be-announced value before being expanded further.
More details are expected in the upcoming fall budget.
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