‘If it’s made in the US, I don’t buy it’: Canadians on boycotting Trump’s America
Canadians are increasingly boycotting US goods and services in response to Donald Trump’s trade measures and threats towards Canada. The movement matters because it is reshaping everyday spending, travel and investment choices, while reflecting a sharp deterioration in public sentiment towards the United States.
The US has imposed 50% tariffs on US$20bn of Canadian goods, and prime minister Mark Carney has pledged equivalent retaliation after trade talks collapsed. More than 3,500 people told the Guardian they were avoiding American groceries, alcohol, technology, streaming platforms, airlines and vehicles; an Angus Reid survey found 40% of grocery shoppers were checking products’ origins in July. Some participants said the boycott added hundreds or thousands of Canadian dollars to annual costs, but viewed this as an acceptable price for supporting Canadian businesses and expressing opposition to US policy.
- Canadians are boycotting US products amid worsening trade relations.
- Tariffs have intensified consumer anger and changed spending habits.
- Many accept higher costs to support Canadian alternatives.
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Canada and the United States have one of the world’s closest trading relationships, with goods, services and people moving across the border in large numbers. Canadian households and businesses buy many American products, while the US is Canada’s biggest export market.
Donald Trump is the US president, and Mark Carney is Canada’s prime minister. Tariffs are taxes charged on imported goods; they can make products more expensive and are often used by governments during trade disputes.
A consumer boycott is when people deliberately avoid buying certain products or services. In this case, some Canadians are changing where they shop, travel and invest because of US trade policy and wider concerns about relations between the two countries.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of the boycott argue that consumers are entitled to respond peacefully to tariffs and political threats by directing their spending towards Canadian producers and non-US alternatives. They see it as an expression of national solidarity that can help domestic firms, reduce dependence on a less reliable trading partner and give ordinary people a practical way to register opposition to policies they consider unfair. Accepting some extra cost is, in this view, a principled choice to protect economic resilience and Canadian sovereignty.
The case against
Critics argue that broad consumer boycotts can impose costs mainly on Canadian households and businesses, including retailers, workers and firms whose supply chains remain closely tied to the United States. They may also do little to change US policy while deepening resentment between two neighbouring societies with extensive family, cultural and commercial ties. From this perspective, governments should pursue targeted, proportionate trade measures and negotiations, while consumers retain the freedom to buy the most affordable and suitable goods regardless of origin.
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