Amid all the news of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, consumers are being encouraged by the Newfoundland and Labrador government to change their shopping habits to support locally owned businesses.
In response to a U.S. tariff on steel and aluminum – and threats of more tariffs to come, the Newfoundland and Labrador government is encouraging consumers to ditch imported goods and choose local.
The N.L. government has launched a new campaign to encourage shopping locally. The “buy local” campaign uses signs and logos to make it easy for shoppers to identify which products are local. The provincial government plans to place the signs at all grocery store retailers throughout the province.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would impose across-the-board tariffs on Canadian goods shortly after he took office. However, his plans were put on hold for 30 days on Feb. 3 after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to beef up border security and appoint a fentanyl czar.
But those concessions might not be enough to appease Trump, who wants to increase manufacturing jobs in the United States – and has even expressed a desire to see Canada become his country’s the 51st state.
While the tariff threats are impacting the way some consumers are purchasing goods, the impact of the tariff threats goes deeper than just switching what brand of product you buy.
“Retail isn’t necessarily the driver of any economy, but it’s certainly a barometer on the health of an economy,” said Jim Cormier, Atlantic director with the Retail Council of Canada. “If you end up with these tariffs, . . . it will have an impact – some immediately and some over time, which does trickle down into the retail sector.”
Tariffs could place extra pressure on consumers who have already been impacted by high inflation in recent years.
“People are much more mindful of what they’re spending on a product,” Cormier said. “So, if all of a sudden there’s a product that you like that’s now 25 per cent more expensive, then that could have a real impact on the consumer to buy that product.”
To ensure they know exactly what they are buying when they purchase a product, some shoppers have started reading labels carefully to make sure what they are buying is truly a Canadian product.
Kim Wall of Mount Pearl has started buying more Canadian products – but it’s not always easy.
“It takes me so much longer to grocery shop,” Wall said.
In addition to paying attention to what products she is buying, Wall says she had a greenhouse installed by Canadian company Sun Valley Greenhouses so she can start growing her own produce such as tomatoes and carrots.
“I’ve been growing a lot of my own vegetables, so with the new greenhouse I’m looking forward to planting this spring,” Wall said.
Even young adults are deciding to make the switch to buy Canadian and support local retailers.
Matthew Ivey, 21, of St. John’s, says his household is already buying Canadian alternatives to the American products usually purchased.
“While cost can be a huge factor,” Ivey said, “supporting local and helping our economy is also important.”
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