Boycotts of American products have been encouraged across Canada over the last week.
On Twitter it has taken shape with the hashtag #BoycottUSProducts.
Many Canadians became incensed by the treatment of Prime Minister Trudeau in the wake of the recent G7 Summit in Charlevoix, Quebec on June 8th and 9th.
“It was insulting to us, to Trudeau … we had enough”
The condemnations of Trudeau in the wake of the G7, the tarriffs now in effect on Canadian steel and aluminium, plus the threats of more tarriffs on cars made here, have many Canadians thinking twice before they buy.
California wines are sitting on shelves while vintages from other countries or regions in Canada benefit.
Boycotts of American products include California wines, popular in many Canadian restaurants and homes. (CBC)
“It was insulting to us, to Trudeau … we had enough,” Carole Lajeunesse told CBC News in Ottawa.
“We started with the wine and decided to continue with ketchup and mustard.” Lajeunesse is the co-owner of a bistro in Buckingham, Quebec.
Decisions not to buy American are becoming organized
John Ivison of the National Post newspaper reported that the Town of Halton Hills, 70 kilometres west of Toronto, made it official.
On June 11th, they “voted on a motion that would see it encourage its residents and businesses to consider avoiding U.S. goods,” Ivison wrote.
And “where Canadian substitutes are reasonably available, and communicating with U.S. businesses and individuals Canadian concerns about the decisions of the U.S. government.”
Scott Gilmore, a columnist in Maclean’s, a national magazine, prompted Canadians to avoid Trump companies and listed them, as well as the companies that do business with the Trump family.
The list included the venerable Hudson’s Bay Company, which is no longer owned by a Canadian but has a historic resonance in this country and is often a landmark retailer in many towns and cities across the country. The Bay carries Ivanka Trump lines.
Meanwhile, Canada is the number one market for American products. We imported $98.9 billion (US) in the first quarter of 2018, according to official U.S. data.
Canada received 18.3 percent of U.S. exports, ahead of Mexico and China, and we are the top export market for 35 American states.
There are reports of cancelled reservations of hotel rooms and campsites in the United States during the upcoming summer months.
The U.S. is the top destination for Canadian vacationers.
With a population of 36 million, in 2017 Canadians made 42 million trips to the U.S.
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