"It's because of your president"... 'Boycott of U.S. products' spreads across Canada

[Financial News] Canadians are launching their own boycott of U.S. products in protest against the Donald Trump administration's hardline trade policies and threats of annexation.
According to The Washington Post on the 13th (local time), Francine Fische, a resident of Ontario, Canada, sent a "farewell email" to the U.S. food company Bob's Red Mill on the 1st, stating, "I have decided not to bring American products into my home anymore." It was a notification that she would even stop eating the gluten-free pancake mix she had enjoyed for years.
Fische lashed out in an email, saying, "I will not buy American goods until your president understands that Canada is a sovereign nation." In an interview with The Washington Post, she stated, "Canadian products are the top priority for purchase, and the next is anything other than American products," adding, "American products are now a distant third consideration."
The Washington Post reported that "checking the country of origin at grocery stores, changing vacation destinations, and finding substitutes for familiar household goods have become a 'patriotic duty' for Canadians these days." This indicates a movement to sever, starting in everyday life, economic ties with a neighboring country that has been closely intertwined with Canada for decades.
The change was also reflected in the numbers. According to June statistics cited by The Washington Post, Canadian travel to the United States fell by 25% compared with the same month in 2024.
Earlier, on the 8th, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a video message explaining retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports, "The strongest action comes from you, who buy Canadian products and travel to Canada," adding, "These are decisions made at the kitchen table, not in corporate boardrooms." It was effectively a call for Canadians to promote domestic products.
According to The Washington Post, the information hub for the boycott of American products is online. On Made in Canada, an online community that helps people find and recommend Canadian products, membership grew from fewer than 300,000 as recently as early last year to more than 1.4 million. Questions seeking alternatives continued to pour in, covering everything from skin moisturizers and pet food to underwear, guitars, and pickleball rackets.
For example, Christina Templeton, a doctor working in St. John's, Newfoundland, even replaced the instant coffee mix her father in his 80s enjoyed drinking. Her parents, who had questioned the point of a boycott given the size of the U.S. economy, also changed their minds.
The incident in which the United States changed the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America is said to have served as the catalyst. Templeton said, "My father now says that, regardless of the boycott's effect, he simply dislikes the situation of getting upset every time he drinks coffee in the morning."
Amid this situation, some say it has become an opportunity for local Canadian producers. Farm owner Tim Barry said, "Whenever President Trump's rhetoric intensifies, we are flooded with inquiries from stores and supermarkets about placing orders." Pointing to the Canadian flag emblem printed on the upper-right corner of the packaging, he said, "I think this is the biggest factor."
The boycott is expanding beyond the dinner table. Angela Olt, a resident of Guelph, Ontario, said, "I canceled my trip to New York," adding, "I absolutely will not go until the situation changes."
Petra Kasunmuch, a Toronto-based writer and startup expert, also sought Canadian and European services to replace Adobe, Google Workspace, and Zoom. She said, "It takes some effort, but it is possible to untangle the connections."
Regarding this phenomenon, Avery Sanfield, chief economist at CIBC Capital Markets, noted, "Canadians have been hurt by decisions made by the U.S. government," adding, "Many people are making this choice out of a sense of patriotic duty."
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