Nov. 28, 2025 "'Tis the season for holiday shopping. But are Canadian products on the list?": Today I found this article by Jennifer La Grassa on CBC:
Despite recent data suggesting the Buy Canadian movement is losing steam, some business owners are hopeful the boom they've been seeing will continue through Black Friday sales and throughout the holiday shopping season.
The movement took off earlier this year after consumers switched to Canadian-made products in an effort to boycott the United States following a trade war and threats of annexation from president Donald Trump.
But since its peak, recent data suggests the trend has fallen off.
Statistics Canada’s latest report found that nearly 70 per cent of businesses “did not experience an increase in sales of their Canadian products” over the past six months.
Only about 13 per cent of businesses said they had seen an increase,
whereas the remainder weren’t sure.
Experts say inflation
and the removal of some of Canada’s counter tariffs on U.S. products
have made the items less expensive
and may mean consumers are returning to old habits.
A recent Bank of Canada survey also found that most people said they weren’t willing to pay more than an additional 10 per cent for a Canadian-made product.
“There seems to be a long-lasting shift in the general public towards prioritizing Canadian goods and services,”
said François Neville, a strategic management professor at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business.
“Whereas that sentiment was probably at its height shortly after the initial wave of tariffs from the Trump administration, it certainly seems to have waned a little bit.”
Unless more divisive comments come out of the White House over the next few weeks, Neville says he’s uncertain whether Buy Canadian will take priority this holiday season.
“If we think of the types of gifts that are being purchased over the holiday season,
oftentimes these are the types of products that are not necessarily manufactured in Canada,”
he said, referring to toys that are usually made in China.
Some businesses say boom is still on
Despite the reported softening of the Buy Canadian sentiment, some businesses say they’ve seen steady support throughout the year.
Clothing retail owner Julie Brown says that in every month since January her business, Province of Canada, has nearly doubled its sales compared to last year.
To keep up with the demand, she said they’ve had to almost double their warehouse and office staff.
“We are seeing a huge push for buying Canadian,” said Brown.
“It certainly hasn’t slowed down for us for the holiday season, and I think we’re gonna see a strong December as well.”
Shop Makers president Chris Sharanewych, whose cross-Canada stores feature products made by local artists and entrepreneurs, says the company is also an exception to the statistics.
This year, Shop Makers has opened seven new stores — and could have opened more, according to Sharanewych.
Compared to last year, he says they saw about a 20 to 40 per cent increase in sales each month.
But Sharanewych says he recognizes that
people are strapped for cash
and Canadian products can be more expensive,
which could be why businesses find their items aren’t selling.
“With Canadian product, naturally that cost is going to be a bit higher,” he said.
“There are consumers coming in and, you know, comparing our product that probably, traditionally is 20 per cent higher than going online,"
he said.
"But again, we really just try to emphasize the fact you are supporting Canadian.”
Is buying local top of mind for Canadians?
A Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) survey found that while each Canadian household is expected to spend
an average of $943 on holiday gifts this year,
59 per cent of that (or $553) is expected to go toward local products and services
— an increase from last year.
“When you do that, you create jobs in Canada,” said BDC’s chief economist Pierre Cléroux.
He added that 46 per cent of Canadians are “saying that they will spend more on Canadian products and services this year.”
The BDC says if Canadians re-direct $100 more of their existing holiday budget to Canadian products, they will inject about $13 billion into the economy.
Some holiday shoppers at Toronto's Eaton Centre, told CBC News that they’re planning to put their dollars toward Canada as much as they can.
“I think the government is limited in what it can do and it doesn’t want to cause a terrible backlash,” said Robert Cory.
“But citizens can vote with their wallets.”
But for others, price will play a big part.
“Ideally, if you can get Canadian, I'd get Canadian," said Gregory Jourard.
"Just, you got to keep the budget in mind.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/buy-canadian-holiday-shopping-9.6994427
My strategy of buying Canadian if I can, but avoiding American at all cost, still reamins in place.
I have been buying canadian for the most part when ever I can for years/decades.
More folks should have been doing it all these years, but it is good to see many doing it now. :)
Dec. 1, 2025 "Price vs. patriotism: Holiday season a test for buy Canadian sentiment": Today I found this article by Tara Deschamps on BNN Bloomberg:
TORONTO — When customers visited Lisa Pozin’s two Vancouver gift shops earlier this year, they had buy Canadian on the brain.
“It was the first thing on their mind. They would comment on it and it was like they were seeing the red everywhere,” the owner of Giving Gifts recalled of a surge in patriotic shopping that a tariff war with the U.S. sparked in the winter.
“They were looking for the maple leaves ... and they were reading packages, even for things like soap, to make sure it was made in Canada.”
These days, Pozin said shoppers still appreciate domestic items on her shelves, but their country of origin doesn’t carry the same weight it once did. In fact, many of her customers no longer turn over packages to see where something was made.
Her observations suggest that as the tariff war drags on, consumers are growing numb to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tit-for-tat and with the cost of living continuing to rise, some are willing to prioritize
price
and convenience
over patriotism.
This holiday season will test how much of a regression the buy Canadian movement has seen as best intentions and budgets go head-to-head.
Before most Canadians even started buying gifts, research shows they were keen on supporting homegrown brands.
The Business Development Bank of Canada predicted almost 60 per cent of the average $943 Canadians will spend on holiday shopping will be dedicated to domestic products and services this year.
Meanwhile, Deloitte Canada said 73 per cent of the 1,000 people it surveyed between Aug. 27 and Sept. 5 prefer to purchase products that support local or Canadian-owned businesses
and 56 per cent want to buy gifts that support neighbourhood or small businesses.
However, the interest doesn’t always convert to sales, said Chelsee Pettit, who runs Aaniin Retail Inc., a business selling Indigenous goods online and at Toronto’s Eaton Centre.
“Some people, they just don’t do it, but they’ll talk about it,” she said.
Spending data in the run-up to the holidays backs up what she’s seen.
Statistics Canada’s fourth-quarter business survey found that between April 1 and Nov. 5,
about 13 per cent of companies experienced an increase in sales for Canadian products.
But over the same span, many more businesses
— a whopping 68.2 per cent of them — did not experience an increase in sales of Canadian products
and 18.5 per cent were unsure whether there had been impact at all.
The shift is also borne out in anecdotes from retailers. Last month, Loblaw Companies Ltd. revealed many of its customers had switched back to buying U.S. products after Canadian countertariffs on U.S. imports were removed.
Marty Weintraub, national retail leader at Deloitte Canada, calls what many businesses are now experiencing the “say-do gap.”
“Somebody says something, in terms of what they want to do,
but then when push comes to shove and they’re sitting in front of the cash register,
they do something else,”
he said.
Weintraub figures this happens because some consumers
are facing so much financial pressure,
they feel they have to put price before patriotism
“Value almost trumps everything else, probably eight times out of 10,
unless there’s a particular reason somebody wants to pay a premium,”
he said.
And it’s not just cost that can dissuade someone from shopping Canadian.
If an option made outside the country is closer to a customer’s home
or easier to order,
they often don’t think twice.
“Convenience outweighs anything — and delivery,” Pozin said.
Brands matter, too, said Sam Care, owner of Toronto toy shop Playful Minds.
Fickle kids sometimes won’t settle for anything other than the item they have their hearts set on and loved ones will indulge them even if it means sending money out of the country.
“There are Legos coming from Mexico,
but we definitely get it from the United States,
and not one person has ever said anything about that,”
Care said.
“They just keep buying and Lego is one of our top items.”
Like Pozin, she said
customers aren’t looking for Canadian-made items with the same gusto they once were
but they still consider shopping at Playful Minds a win because it’s a local, independent business.
“They don’t care as long as small businesses are succeeding,” she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2025.
Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press
My opinion: This part stood out to me the most:
Statistics Canada’s fourth-quarter business survey found that between April 1 and Nov. 5,
about 13 per cent of companies experienced an increase in sales for Canadian products.
But over the same span, many more businesses
— a whopping 68.2 per cent of them — did not experience an increase in sales of Canadian products
and 18.5 per cent were unsure whether there had been impact at all.
The shift is also borne out in anecdotes from retailers. Last month, Loblaw Companies Ltd. revealed many of its customers had switched back to buying U.S. products after Canadian countertariffs on U.S. imports were removed.
Marty Weintraub, national retail leader at Deloitte Canada, calls what many businesses are now experiencing the “say-do gap.”
“Somebody says something, in terms of what they want to do,
but then when push comes to shove and they’re sitting in front of the cash register,
they do something else,”
The other 2 blog posts of the week:
"Aggressive discounts and patriotism drive Canada’s holiday shopping season"/ "Weekend online sales after Black Friday up nine per cent from year ago: Salesforce"
http://badcb.blogspot.com/2025/12/aggressive-discounts-and-patriotism.html
"Sellers in other countries struggle to maintain U.S. customers as holiday shopping season starts"/ "Christmas tree sellers seeing high demand this year despite some price increases
http://badcb.blogspot.com/2025/12/sellers-in-other-countries-struggle-to.html
Will you be shopping on Black Friday this year?
This is the question of the day LEO asked the community on October 22nd, 2025.
Here is what you answered on LEO:
- 39% of you said yes
- 61% of you said no
What about Cyber Monday?
But we’re curious, so on November 29th, we also asked : Are you going to take advantage of Cyber Monday deals?
- 30% of you said yes
- 70% of you said no
Josianne C, Saint-Polycarpe, Quebec, would like to know:
Do you enjoy Christmas music in stores?
Yes 71.73% (2809)
No 28.27% (1107)
Adèle M, Lévis, Quebec, would like to know:
Over your lifetime, how many times have you moved?
3 - 5 times 33.74% (1593)
6 - 10 times 28.04% (1324)
More than 10 times 20.21% (954)
1 - 2 times 15.48% (731)
Never 2.52% (119)
Create positive, lasting impact on a global scale.
Village Goods is a volunteer supported not-for-profit social enterprise.
We've been in Edmonton since 1986,
first as a part of Ten Thousand Villages Canada,
now as an independent not-for-profit operating in Edmonton, Alberta!
We're a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation!
We source handmade products from around the globe according to fair trade standards,
meaning everything in store is ethically made with fair working conditions!
No comments:
Post a Comment