Canadians have begun switching to local analogues of American goods as a protest against the trade war unleashed by the United States.
Recent data shows Canadians across the country are increasingly making efforts to distance themselves from their southern neighbor, using travel and shopping decisions to express displeasure with U.S. trade policies and the administration’s aggressive rhetoric.
According to June figures, the number of trips made by Canadians to the United States decreased by 25% compared to the same month in 2024. A Bank of Canada analysis conducted earlier this year also reflected a growing consumer trend toward fewer American products at grocery stores, describing it as “modest but clearly noticeable.”
Avery Schoenfeld, chief economist at CIBC Capital Markets in Toronto, stated: “Canadians feel hurt by the decisions made by the American government.”
On September 7, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that products from the Canadian engineering company Bombardier would no longer be sold in the United States. Additionally, Trump remarked that if Canada requires access to the American market, it should stop treating the United States as a “piggy bank.” The following day, the U.S. imposed a ban on Canadian alcohol imports, including beer, wine, vermouth, sake cider, whiskey, brandy, rum, vodka, liqueurs, and tequila. This measure takes effect on September 29.
Canada has also imposed tariffs on products from key U.S. states with Republican political leanings, a move that could affect outcomes in the upcoming American congressional midterms.
