I've gotten into the habit of asking the people in my life if because they know what I do for a living (and that I can't shut up about it) has impacted the way they themselves shop. The resounding answer I got was “Yes, damn you!” Evidently, like for everyone who works at Buy Canadian First, it seems that all our friends and family can no longer pick-up a product while shopping and not look at the country-of-origin label. They care about what the label says.
When I'm at the grocery store, I try to only buy produce that is grown in Canada. Regardless of season. Obviously this is difficult right now, but I am still amazed at what produce does grow in Canada - even in February. And what lacks in fresh, I can find frozen, which to me, is just as good. In some cases I have not had any choice but to buy food from other countries, but I consciously try to limit my radius to the US. I'm that stubborn about it now. It's a lifestyle choice I've made and I can't say I'm bored or hungry at all. Since the start of winter I have consistently gone home from the supermarket satisfied with my bags full of fresh Canadian-grown produce and other products of Canada and felt that my choices have contributed to the growth of our food manufacturing businesses.
As far as consumer goods are concerned, I won't lie and tell you it's easy to only buy Canadian. Some products are really hard to find. It would help if retailers would train their staff to know which of their products or brands are made in Canada because most times they just shrug and say they don't know. This is especially true when you walk into large retailers. How do I go about it? I do research online first: I find the manufacturers and their websites and then check out the “store finder” pages. Then, if the products I'm looking for aren't sold in Montreal or the GMA, I'll consider buying them online. After a while though, you develop a feel for it. It becomes a habit. Even before I joined Buy Canadian First, I already knew of a couple dozen brands that were made here. Now obviously I know of hundreds more, but I have my favourites I stick to.
Of course there is what I buy when I shop and what my boyfriend buys. He tries really hard to buy Canadian most of the time but he's not as obsessed about it as me and that's perfectly OK. Last fall, he went out of his way to find a made-in-Canada snow-brush, scraper and shovel for me, as this was going to be my first winter driving my very first car (I am the proud owner of a Canadian-made 2009 Toyota Matrix). He was pleasantly surprised to discover that the type of brush and scraper he would purchase for himself was made by a Canadian manufacturer (Mallory Industries). So he was supporting Canadian-made without even realizing it, simply because he never paid attention to labels before...Not until he met me ;-)
I'm sure if you scour your home for everyday items you will be happy to see how many Canadian-made products you already endorse, without knowing it. That's how I first discovered that Le Chateau manufactures in Canada; that Tristan has a Canadian-made collection; that Roots still manufactures some apparel in Canada; my super comfy pillow was made by Montrealers at LBC ; that my favourite bath products by Canus and Lush were made in Canada and not to mention all the "Products of Canada" that were already in my pantry.
Believe me, once you start seeking out to buy Canadian intentionally, you will not be able shop like you used to ever again...and I don't think that's a bad thing. Suddenly the country of origin becomes a big deal. You will proudly add “AND it's made in Canada” to your answer when people ask you “oh where did you get that?” But you will also get frustrated in your quest to find your canadian-made equivalent of a readily available foreign-made product and at times you will postpone your search or even give up. Some days you will also acquiesce to the foreign-made item. But the best thing you could do is walk into a store, find the manager and specifically ask the question “do you sell an xyz that is made in Canada?”
We the consumers have so much power. If we all started to put more pressure on our merchants to carry more canadian-made goods or suffer the loss of business, what do you think would happen? ESPECIALLY now, in these tough economic times. By buying Made in Canada, you are supporting manufacturers, helping them to stay in Canada or to simply stay in business. You are being socially and environmentally responsible but more importantly, what's on everyone's minds these days is that you are ensuring the livelihoods of hundred of thousands of Canadian workers. Statistics Canada has estimated that over 300,000 Canadians are at risk of losing their job this year. This past January, we already saw 129,000 jobs disappear. This drop in employment exceeds any monthly decline during the previous economic downturns of the 1980s and 1990s.
Out motto here at Buy Canadian First has always been that it's not about buying Canadian always...it's about considering Canadian-made first. We built this website to help consumers find those Canadian-made products and to make it easier for manufacturers to find their end-users. My wish is that one day I will receive hoards of emails and comments stating just one thing, and I will know what it means: "Damn you! ;-)"
Are you up for the challenge?
Image source: Flickr Creative Commons - christopher.woo, ralphbijker
Author: Melissa Thibodeau
