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I just wanted to share a real Canadian feel-good story with you today. My 10-year old son is an avid Montreal Canadiens’ fan and a hockey player himself. This year he is playing PeeWee for Hockey West Island. He is also an avid hockey card collector with an affinity for the Glorieux of the 70s (I know, I know, he has good taste… takes after his Mom ;-)

Anyway, a few months ago he saved up his allowance to buy a Ken Dryden card from the 1972-1973 season, and was so excited about it. He just wished it had the great Hall of Famer's autograph on it… So I suggested he find Ken Dryden’s email address at the Parliament (he is the Liberal MP for York Centre, in case you’ve been asleep for a couple of years) and ask him for an autograph. And so he did.

Weeks went by during the summer without news from Mr. Dryden’s office, so we finally forgot about it. I figured he must receive hundreds of such requests every year and has better things to do with his time. Lo and behold, 2 weeks ago a reply came in from his Special Assistant with the following message “Mr. Dryden would be more than happy to sign a card for you. Please send it to….” Well, you can well imagine the thrill and excitement in our house that day! I just think it’s fantastic that such a great public figure would still take the time to make a young boy SO happy. I always knew Ken Dryden was a gentleman, but this event really drives the message home for me.

So I just wanted to thank him publicly, and also to apologize if he starts receiving hundreds of similar requests… Mr. Dryden: thank you… sorry… thank you… sorry...!

Oh, and before I forget: Go Habs Go!

 

 Blog post writen by: Joseph Wilburn

 

2009 Ford Flex, Oakville Assembly Plant (Photo Credit: Ford Canada - Flickr-Creative Commons)

The good ol' days of which auto brands were considered domestic versus foreign are long gone. Judging from many of the bumper stickers I see around Oshawa, I think that a little clarification is in order. I'm a firm believer in the notion that making uninformed decisions can cost big, so do your homework first. A car is one of the biggest purchases most people make. What if you want to buy from an automaker that invests in Canada? Well, it's not a black and white situation.

I've created a list, so you can be informed about which automakers are making an investment in Canada's auto industry in order for you to decide what combination works best for you while helping you support our auto industry. I've put them in order starting with the company that does the most manufacturing activity in Canada. Of course, this will change for some manufacturers as they downsize. I'm specifically talking about GM Canada's Oshawa truck plant closure in 2009 as Chrysler and Ford have done their downsizing for the time being earlier this decade. It should also be noted that Honda Canada and Toyota Canada have been picking up the slack so far, but things change quickly in this industry.

Now to the list!

GM Canada, fittingly headquartered in Oshawa, makes the most units in Canada - over 960,000 over all its operations in 2007. The following GM models are built here:

• Buick Allure, Buick La Crosse
• Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Monte Carlo, Silverado
• Pontiac Grand Prix, Montana SV6, Torrent

Next up, is Chrysler Canada, headquartered in Windsor, Ontario. They hold the number 2 spot producing 534,872 units in 2007 in Canada. The following models are built here:

• Chrysler 300/300c, Chrysler 300 Touring, Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler Town & Country
• Dodge Mangum, Charger, Challenger (future), Dodge Grand Caravan
• Volkswagan Touran (a future joint venture with Chrysler)

Honda Canada, produced 390,000 units in 2007 making them Canada's 3rd largest automaker. Based in Allison, Ontario, they are poised for future growth with an expansion later this year. Honda Canada produces the following models here:

• Honda Accord
• Honda Civic

Ford Canada , based in Oakville, Ontario, comes in number 4 for units produced in Canada. In 2007, they produced over 350,000 units. They produce the following units in Canada:

• Ford Crown Victoria, Ford Edge, Ford Flex
• Mercury Grand Marquis
• Lincoln Town Car, Lincoln MKX

Rounding out the list is Toyota Canada. Toyota Canada, based in Toronto, produced 300,000 units in Canada in 2007. They are working on growing their Canadian operations and a new plant is to come online this year in Woodstock, Ontario to supplement operations from their Cambridge, Ont. plant. In Canada, they produce:

• Toyota Corolla, Matrix, RAV4 (in 2009)
• Lexus RX

So, there you have it. A list of our Canadian manufacturers so you can make the most informed car purchase this year. Take a look, do some comparisons and find out what Canadian car suits you best.

 Blog post writen by: Joseph Wilburn

 

Je fais appel à une image qui pour certains d'entre vous, évoquera un souvenir de votre tendre enfance. Vous vous rappelez certainement  des Mr. Freeze, n'est-ce pas? Ce délice incontournable de la saison estivale. Vous rappelez-vous de ces moments amusants entre amis ou vous tiriez la langue pour comparer les différentes colours laissées par ce délice glacé? Vous souvenez-vous d'avoir siroté jusqu'à la dernière goutte la partie foude de ce merveilleux liquide sucré? C'était ça le vrai été!

Et bien, devinez quoi? L'été est de nouveau parmi nous! Soyez certains que le Mr. Freeze a toujours sa place dans mon congélateur! Même si je ne suis plus un enfant (Je le suis toujours dans l'âme), j'éprove toujours un faible pour ces petits pops glacés lors des journées collantes et humides.

À l'époque je n'étais absolument pas préoccupé par le sucre et les calories. On pourrait même dire que c'était le contraire - plus un aliment était riche en calories, plus j'éprouvais du plaisir à le déguster. Je consomme maintenant pops glacés sans sucre puisque je surveille ma consommation d'hydrates de carbonne. Il est donc pratique d'avoir ce delice a la portee de la main lorsque monstre à la dent sucrée refait surface.

J'aime bien faire attention à ce que je mange. Je suit le genre de personne qui prend le temps de lire les merveilleuses histoires à l'endos de boites de céréales, sur les sacs et les contenants. Il y a tant de choses intéresantes à decouvrir. Ainsi, j'ai pris le temps de m'imformer sur l'origine du Mr. Freeze et, à ma grande surprise, j'ai decouvert que l'entreprise qui fabrique ce produit s'appelle Kisko et est située a Woodbridge en Ontario. L'entreprise fut fondée en 1977 par Leslie et Glenor Josephs et demeure une entreprise canadienne jusqu'à ce jour.

Mmmmm!

Photo: Kisko Canada

 Blog post writen by: Joseph Wilburn

 

I had been meaning to get out to Prince Edward County and do some of the wineries in that area. I was happy when I had the time to finally get out and explore the region. If you've never heard of it, Prince Edward County is an up and coming wine region east of Toronto, centred near the town of Picton.

I wanted to try it out because it was close to home and off the beaten path.

Now, I have to preface that I am by no means a wine snob. I like wine, local fare, and the natural rural environment where you tend to find all that.

It took about 2 hours for me to arrive in Picton, a really quaint and picturesque town. Time for lunch! I cannot have wine on an empty stomach after all. I stopped at The Painted Peppercorn, located at 172 Main St., Picton. I had a very fresh and delicious simple salad with a zesty lime and ginger dressing on the side. For my entree, I had a great hearty meatloaf sandwich.

Tummy full, I headed off to my first winery of the day: Waupoos Estates. The main reason being was this:

An absolutely stunning view of Lake Ontario from the winery grounds.

The winery itself was also very unique in architecture.

The vines for the vineyard were planed in 2000 and the winery itself opened in 2001. The winery is known for its Baco Noir, but because I generally favour white wines I purchased a Pinot Gris instead. Regretfully, I didn't have a tasting here because it was quite busy. Taking a stoll along beautiful grounds made up for it.

My next stop: Huff Estates

The Huff Estates winery is on a massive plot of land, complete with helipad and the Inn at Huff Estates. The winery opened in 2004 to the public and is the only winery in Prince Edward County that produces a Merlot.

For my tasting here, I had the Pinot Noir and South Bay Chardonnay -- the latter of which is the winemaker's choice. The poor sommlier was hurried because there must have been at least 20 of us at the table, but he got through it all with pizzazz and composure. I bought the South Bay Chardonnay, it has a lovely smooth and sultry texture to it that I really enjoyed.

My final winery tour took me all the way to hills of Northumberland County. Here, I visited the Oak Heights Estate Winery.The winery is located at the intersection of Covert Hill Rd. and County Rd 29 near Warkworth (note: the winery entrance is off Cty. Rd. 29, a private residence is adjacent to the winery). The location of the winery was so unexpected because it really is on top of the hills far above Lake Ontario.

I was met by a lovely woman named Stephanie who took me though my tasting. She explaned to me the differences between the wines, and they even had "tasting notes." I found that to be really interesting from a novice's standpoint. It really helped to explain the taste sensations that I was experiencing. I had the Covert Hill Red and the Chardonnay reserve, both of which were easy on the palate and sophisticated. I liked them so much I bought both!

The winery also has a small, well-appointed resturant complete with tapas menu and full entrees if you find that you are peckish after your wine tour.

Oak Heights Estates Winery is the creation of Ian Frasier and the winery opened its doors in 2006 with winemaker Mike Traynor at the helm.

As you can see, I love taking trips to local attractions. You find tons of interesting stuff right outside your doorstep. Be creative and take paths others have yet to take and you will be rewarded through the unique experiences you will have.

Photo credit: Joseph Wilburn (Waupoos/Oak Heights); Huff Estates

Le week-end dernier, je me suis rendu à Ottawa avec des amis. Ottawa est une de mes villes canadiennes favorites, et j’essaie de m’y rendre le plus souvent possible. J’adore son histoire, son architecture, son volet artistique, ses boutiques et ses restaurants. En passant, la prochaine fois que vous visiterez le marché ByWard, arrêtez-vous au Café Shafali où vous pourrez goûter à la meilleure cuisine indienne de ce côté de Mumbai. Mmmmm! Mais je m’écarte du sujet…

Après le repas du midi, nous avons participé à une visite guidée du Parlement, magnifique bâtiment que vous pourrez admirer une fois que vous aurez passé les contrôles de sécurité aussi sévères que ceux d’un aéroport. La dernière fois que je m’y suis rendu, c’était en 1998 et on pouvait y entrer et en sortir comme bon nous semblait. Cette époque est malheureusement révolue. Bien sûr, je n’ai pas pu résister à la boutique de souvenirs à la fin de la visite. (Gardez ceci en tête: je me trouve à l’intérieur du Parlement canadien, payé et entretenu grâce aux impôts canadiens.) Donc, je cherche un petit souvenir pour mon fils Nicholas et j’aperçois un porte-clés nounours de la GRC.

Un simple coup d’œil sur l’étiquette (de manière compulsive comme d’habitude) et je me rends compte que l’ours a été importé d’Asie. De plus, celui-ci porte une étiquette qui indique «…La Gendarmerie royale du Canada demeure un des symboles les plus reconnaissables du Canada…», et en ajoute en affirmant qu’il s’agit d’un «produit officiel sous licence de la Fondation de la police montée». Qu’est ce qui chose qui cloche là-dedans?

Laissez-moi vous donner un autre indice. J’examine aussi un porte-documents en vinyle qui porte le symbole des armoiries du Canada. Difficile pour un produit d’être plus canadien que cela, en plus d’être vendu à la boutique de cadeaux du Parlement... Celle fois ci, j’ai vraiment eu à fouiller pour en trouver l’étiquette d’origine. Une fois de plus, il s’agissait d’un produit importé. L’étiquette descriptive quant à elle, a été plus facile à trouver. Voici ce qu’elle indiquait: «…L’écusson est la marque de la souveraineté du Canada…» Vraiment? Il me semble qu’un pays souverain devrait faire travailler ses propres citoyens pour fabriquer et vendre des souvenirs que les touristes et les Canadiens seraient fiers de rapporter à la maison. N’êtes-vous pas du même avis que moi?

Je trouve vraiment aberrant le fait que  tant de souvenirs canadiens ne soient pas fabriqués au Canada. D’où vient cette logique? Ne devrait-il pas y avoir une loi contre une telle pratique? Qui désire se procurer une décoration d’arbre de Noël à tête d’orignal pour se rappeler de leur voyage au Canada pour ensuite y découvrir l’étiquette, Made in China? (Vous allez sans doute me répondre «De toute façon, qui veut s’acheter décoration d’arbre de Noël à tête d’orignal?» Et bien moi…je les collectionne… les décorations de Noël, pas les têtes d’orignal!)

Pour être parfaitement honnête, la majorité des articles de la boutique de souvenirs étaient fabriqués au Canada ce qui est en soi une bonne nouvelle. Cependant, pourquoi ne pas viser un taux de conformité de 100%, tout particulièrement sur la Colline du Parlement?

Mon argument est que nous fabriquons de magnifiques souvenirs ici-même, qu’il s’agisse de produits artisanaux, de t-shirts ou d’animaux en peluche! Par exemple, jetez un coup d’œil à la mascotte de notre bureau, Seamus (en l’honneur de Seamus O’Regan) qui a paru dans l'article de presse que la Gazette a écrit sur nous …(mais ca c’est le sujet d’un tout autre billet)…et disponible aux boutiques Ontario Parks en ligne.

Lorsque que visiterai la Chine, je m’assurerai que les souvenirs que je rapporte ont été fabriqués là-bas. D’ici là, si vous tombez sur de magnifiques souvenirs canadiens fait au Canada, écrivez-nous! Bonne chasse à tous!

Images courtoise de Isabelle Remy 

 Blog post writen by: Joseph Wilburn

 

Photo credit: Daniel Paquet; Source: Flickr - Creative Commons

Bear with me a moment. I have to proclaim I have a bit of a soft spot for Saskatchewan. My grandfather was born there in Prince Albert and so I always like to go back there any time I get a chance. I'm also super happy to be able to write about it, too!

Most of you have probably heard that Saskatchewan is having a bit of a renaissance these days and is booming . It's pretty nice to be able to report on something good (economically-speaking) these days.

You hear a lot about the boom in Saskatchewan, but no real specifics as to what that means. So what's going on there that makes them so hot? I wanted to make a list for all of you:

• Demand for Saskatchewan oil and gas is up
• Grain crops have been in high demand this year
• Potash
• Diamonds! (who doesn't like those?)
• Bio-fibres like flax and hemp
• Mustard (yeah! Goes good on those excellent prairie beef burgers)
• The Seven Wonders of Saskatchewan

It's pretty clear that Saskatchewan has a lot of natural resources that the rest of the world wants and needs. That's pretty good built in marketing if I do say so myself.

You've taken a look at the links now, right? I put that last one in as a plug for travelling to Saskatchewan because people always ask "what's there to do there?" There ya go! They've got unique natural flora and fauna, spas, great food, First Nations and Metis culture and much more. 

Canada is a huge country (I know I don't have to tell you), we have a lot of nooks and crannies out there to explore, so get going already! They are already ahead of you.

 Blog post writen by: Joseph Wilburn

 

I'm going to invoke an image of childhood for many of you. You all remember Mr. Freeze, right? The ice pop that you HAD to have during the summer. Remember comparing tongues with your friends to see the different colours? Remember slurping down the last bit of melted sugary sweetness? Yeah, that was summer right there.

Well, guess what? It's summer now! You better believe I have some in the freezer! Even though, I'm no longer a little kid (still a big kid) I love a good freeze pop on a hot, sticky day.

Now, back then I didn't care about sugar and calories. In fact, probably it was the reverse - the more, the merrier. Nowadays, I eat sugar free pops because I'm watching my carb intake. It's a good thing to have when the ol' sweet tooth gets to acting up as it inevitably does.

So, I like to look into the things I'm eating. I'm the type of person who gets into the stories on the backs of boxes, bags and containers. You find out so many interesting things when you do that. I looked into where Mr. Freeze came from and it turns out that they are made in Canada by a business called Kisko located in Woodbridge, Ontario. It was started in 1977 by Leslie and Glenor Josephs and they are still Canadian-owned and Canadian-made today.

Makes you want to run to the store, right? Mmmmm!

 

Blog post written by: Sam Title

 

I have a confession to make. I have a very serious addiction. I happen to know that that many men like me (many I know personally) suffer from exactly the same affliction...though I've also known several of the female population to be sufferers as well.

There's no known cure; no 12-step program to wean you off; no celebrity doctors in fancy rehab institutes; and the so-called experts in the field only add fuel to the compulsive fire! We suffer deeply and endlessly. It won't go away. What's worse, it has no known name...so it's not like I can call it anything! "Sweetheart, time to leave Futureshop! My [insert affliction name here] is acting up again!"

My symptoms - heart palpitations, pupil dilation, cold and sweaty palms, uncontrollable shaking (sounds like Dr. Banner before a green tantrum!) - reared their ugly selves as recently as last night when my lovely wife and I went to see a movie on our weekly scheduled date night.

As we've all experienced these days with blockbuster movies in stadium-style theatres, the lights might go down at a particularly scheduled time, but the actual feature doesn't begin until you get through about 30 minutes of advertisements and coming attractions.

It was during those 30 minutes that my symptoms came through. In a Canada's very own tech guru (and "gameguy"), Marc Saltzman did a product review on several new GPS systems. My fave, if he's reading this, was the Mio "Knight Rider", complete with the voice of the original K.I.T.T. Finally! Something to go with my General Lee horn ringtone! Ok...maybe I have a few...issues.

Anyways, as I was watching Marc's palpitation-inducing segment, my wife's eyes rolling as they do when my symptoms come out (where's the sympathy?), my hip started buzzing...Ah HA! Eureka! My next BuyCanadianFirst blog post! Research In Motion - the Canadian inventors and manufacturers of the globally used and adored Blackberry.

It's a fantabulous device which has, in fact, given rise to an often belittled affliction of its own - "Blackberry thumb". I've had it. It's painful (stop laughing)...but it's such a good pain because I get it from playing with...I mean...using a really cool toy...er...piece of technology!

My pretty outdated model, the 7130e, was made in Canada. I know this because it's printed on the label under the battery. I'd love to check out THAT factory...I'd be as happy as Homer in a Duff Brewery! The company's website indicates that RIM has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific - but as far as manufacturing goes, other than Canada, some of the online forum chatter mentions devices with "Made in Mexico" or even "Made in Hungary". Where was yours made?

I'm waiting for my current three-year contract to end (four more months!), and for a new model (The Bold?) to make its way off the factory floor so that I can get heart palpitations and sore thumbs with Canadian pride! Who's with me?!

NEWSFLASH: This just in folks! The new Blackberry 9000 (a.k.a. The Bold) will be available through Rogers as of August 21st. If any of you early adopters grab one, please let us know what it's like. Pretty please!

Blog post written by: Sam Title

 

Anyone who tells you that becoming a parent hasn’t changed their life, probably isn’t getting the full experience…for whatever reason (But I don’t judge…). This is when you’re providing life’s basic necessities (food, clothing and shelter…and unconditional love) for someone other than yourself (and your pets). It’s truly rewarding.

Besides the joy of bringing a new life into the world, there’s plenty to ponder about being a new (or practiced) parent. Just read any other baby-blog or parenting magazine – it can be pretty overwhelming at times! As my lovely wife and mother of our two beautiful daughters learned from her doctor (and what she quickly imparted unto me) is that a baby is a living, breathing biology experiment.

There’s the frustration of figuring out what “swaddling” means (think origami with a baby in a blanket), after you’ve finally mastered the art of the diaper change in tight spaces (car trunks in parking garages were our faves!). Once you or your baby’s mother has figured out the bottle vs. breast feeding debate (it’s an endless pendulum!), your kid’s already old enough for spoon feeding…literally.

So what the heck do you feed your kid, who’s probably salivating and pawing at your steak and McCain fries? Those of you who have been there before know exactly what I’m talking about. There are so many food choices out there. Of course, you want to feed your baby only the best if you want them to thrive. So the debate wages on: Do you make your own concoctions in a blender or do you bite the bullet and stock up on jars of some pretty creative blends (some I’d never try as an adult!). How much does the Public Health Agency of Canada really know about what my kid likes to eat on a Tuesday after the morning nap?!

One category of baby foods making a splash in supermarkets is organic. Enter Sweetpea Baby Foods, a Toronto manufacturer of (certified) organic baby foods.

Originally the brainchild of lifelong friends Tamar Wagman and Eryn Green, this (in my mind) ingenious (and wholly Canadian!) product is freezer safe, microwave friendly and portioned perfectly. Tamar’s husband Jordan Wagman, a trained professional chef, is the company’s executive chef (and a published cookbook author).

Sweetpea is available in many places across Canada (such as Longo’s in Ontario, Wal-Mart in Edmonton, or IGA in B.C.). So if you’re wracking your Mommy or Daddy minds trying to figure out supper for the Junior’s week, check out this stuff. They even have Dr. Joey Shulman, a highly sought-after nutritionist, as their health consultant.

Of course, some parents may not find buying pre-packaged food off the shelves of supermarkets to be exactly the best option for their infants. To all you parents out there, what are your thoughts about today’s food selections for kids? Have you tried organic foods for your kids? Heck, send us some of your most successful recipes for those finicky little eaters…

In the meantime, here are some other healthy food options for your rookie spooners:

Bobobaby , Healthy Sprouts , My Organic Baby – a Clearly Canadian Co., President’s Choice Organics

Well, well, here we are at last. Welcome to BuyCanadianFirst.ca! This site has been a little over 9 months in the making, so today really is like giving birth! 

I started this business alone in my home office back in October 2007 and now occupy a beautiful sunny office in the heart of Dorval, Quebec. I am surrounded by the very best team anyone can wish for, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all. Merci de tout mon coeur!

We sincerely hope that you will enjoy your visit on our site, and will feel compelled to come back often to check out the new items we receive every day. You will also want to check out our blog entries, which we promise will be entertaining, enlightening, humorous and always very Canadian! We look forward to your feedback, comments, product reviews, special requests and suggestions.

This site is our gift to you, our fellow Canadians, so please make yourselves at home and enjoy! 

Kind Regards, 

Isabelle Remy
Founder & Managing Director

Blog post written by: Judy Brown

 

I confess, I'm a soap junkie. This morning I went online looking for Canadian-Made bath products.

I found Ella's Botanicals in Ontario. A trained herbalist and aroma therapist, Ella uses organic Canadian biodegradable ingredients. My soap choice looks good enough to eat! Morning Buzz. Coffee and oranges! The coffee grins exfoliate, and the scent of orange and rosemary is going to rejuvenate me as well as soften my skin. Can't beat that.

Carmel Soaps in Alix, Alberta has more fruit to go with my coffee. The Cucumber and Melon soap is great. The goat's milk soap really lathers up nicely. They have an assortment of 4 bars for $20.00 - a good price for handmade naturals. They also sell balms, oils and hand-poured candles.

Okay, I've had my coffee and fruit, let's see what I can find for dessert. Aha, right in trendy Yaletown, Vancouver there's Beauty Mark. And here's my dessert, Buttercream Frosting Hydrating Shower Syrup. Hmmm, who would have thought you could get hungry shopping for soap and bath items?

On the site, you can put your birth date and find out what your Chinease Astrology sign is. I'm a 'wood personality.' It tells me: Don't let yourself be lost in a vast forest, an anonymous tree among millions of others. Make your mark on the world, don't be shy. I'll have to think about that one, shy is not a term that has generally been used to describe me.

You can visit the store and get make-up lessons, or have make-up applied by an expert; this would be a great gift to give someone who is hard to shop for. I'll have to tell my son (who lives in Vancouver) to check out Beauty Mark when he is wondering what to get me for Christmas.

All of the products mentioned above can be ordered online and shipped. This is one of the nicest things about shopping online; you can get all these Canadian-made products no matter where you live.

 Blog post writen by: Joseph Wilburn

 

One of the many perks that I have living in Ontario is having a ton of great produce grown right nearby. However, I, like many other Canadians, take it for granted that the produce in the aisles of our neighbourhood grocery store is locally-grown. I didn’t realize that much of the produce in my local grocery store wasn’t grown here. I even checked a local farmer’s market and found a majority of the produce for sale (many items Ontario produces) were not Ontario or even Canadian-grown.

In this day of high transportation costs and some questionable foreign agricultrual hygiene, it seems that it would begin to make more sense to source as much local produce as possible because buying Canadian produce helps support sustainable Canadian methods of agriculture and keeps our neighbours employed.

In Ontario, for example, we can look to the Foodland Ontario brand as one of the most recognizable brands for Ontario produce. Other municipalities, such as Summerside, PEI are also contemplating creating brands and policies to support their local industries.

If we have all these brands running around, then why don’t more of us know about them? What’s the big problem in expanding these sorts of brands? It turns out we, ourselves, are the problem. I have to admit, I was one of those not in the know, so I’m not throwing too many rocks without hitting myself too. In Ontario, Ontarians just aren’t buying their own produce and not buying Ontario-grown produce keeps it out of the stores. To be fair, we also need many more convenient opportunities to “buy local.” If we want to be sure we are consuming in socially conscious and environmentally sustainable ways, we need to be more conscious of the labels on the items we buy and ensure our governments give us predictable ways of knowing that we are buying Canadian when we intend to. Ironically, this seems to go for so many items we consume not just agricultural produce.

So, fellow Canadians, I’m telling you today to just “eat it!” and by that I mean, “eat Canadian produce.” It’s a place to start. While we’re at it, let’s buy other Canadian made products, too. Remember, we have an economic slowdown on our hands in parts of this country. We helped the Canadian beef industry during the BSE crisis and we can help eat our way out of this economic situation too and support our agricultural and manufacturing industries in the process.