Why Buy Canadian

Mar 19, 2025

By Jess C.

Introduction Does buying Canadian benefit the economy? Is buying Canadian better for the environment? What are the safety and quality standards for Canadian businesses? What social responsibility to Canadian businesses have? How to Identify Canadian Products “Made in Canada” vs. “Product of Canada” Canadian Businesses We Love Conclusion Footnotes

Introduction

The "shop local" movement is nothing new. However, more Canadians are getting on board after President Trump's recent tariff announcement. Mitigating the impact of a trade war isn’t the only benefit when we buy Canadian products where possible. Buying Canadian helps grow our economy, supports small businesses, and is more sustainable.

Figuring out which products are Canadian-made can be more complicated than it sounds. We've included some tips for you, as well as some recommendations for small businesses we're loving right now.

Does buying Canadian benefit the economy?

“For every dollar spent at a small business, 66 cents on average stays local, according to new data from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). Conversely, only 11 cents of every dollar spent stays in the community when consumers shop at a large multinational business.”

Dariya Baiguzhiyeva, CFIB

Job creation and economic growth: Buying Canadian goods supports local employment. And, as local businesses and manufacturers expand operations they hire more workers. Buying Canadian products strengthens sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, and retail.
Tax Revenue and Public Services: Thriving Canadian businesses contribute to higher tax revenues. These taxes can then fund essential services such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
Investment in local supply chains: Canadian companies often source local materials. This creates interconnected economic networks that stabilize communities.
Investment in domestic innovation: There are many products that aren't currently made in Canada. This is an opportunity for Canadian manufacturers to find ways to make products that were previously imported.

“...weakness in domestic production represents a tremendous opportunity for "local" Canadian producers to pick up the slack from our imports.”

Alain Giguere for campaigncanada.ca

Is buying Canadian better for the environment?

For people living in Canada, buying Canadian has a much smaller carbon footprint. The closer to home, the better!

Reduced transportation emissions: Products made in Canada don't have to travel as far. It's even better if the materials used to make the products are locally sourced, too.
Sustainable manufacturing: Canadian manufacturers follow strict environmental regulations, focused on energy efficiency, reduced plastic use, and sustainable farming methods.

What are the safety and quality standards for Canadian businesses?

The Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) ensures the safety consumer products in Canada. It achieves this through mandatory incident reporting, record maintenance, and corrective measures.

Canadian products meet strict health and safety standards. This ensures quality and transparency in manufacturing processes.

What social responsibility do Canadian businesses have?

Canada has high standards for business ethics and fair labour practices. There are regulations in place to ensure that workers are paid fair wages and have reasonable hours of work. This is why people can trust "made in Canada" across the globe.

How to Identify Canadian Products

Figuring out which products are Canadian can be complicated. Products often include many ingredients or several manufacturing stages. These variables can make the process of choosing Canadian-made confusing.

“Lay’s chips are made with Canadian potatoes, manufactured across the country, and shipped and packaged using Canadian labour. But Lay’s is a PepsiCo brand, so is that a local food or not? It really depends on an individual’s definition because there’s really no solid definition for local food.”

Janet Music for Canadian Grocer

“Made in Canada” vs. “Product of Canada”

“Product of Canada” can be found on food products and this means the product’s primary ingredients, processing, and labour are Canadian. They can still include minor non-Canadian ingredients like spices and sugar and still display “Product of Canada” on the label. This is a stricter standard than “Made in Canada”.
Products labeled as "Made in Canada" are more common, as there’s more flexibility with this label. A product can be “Made in Canada” if at least 51% of the contents are from Canada, and the final production stages take place in Canada for non-food products.

Canadian Businesses We Love

To help with your search for Canadian products and brands, we've listed some of our favourites below in several categories.

Clothing and textiles

Local Laundry (Alberta)
Ecologyst (British Columbia)
Anian (British Columbia)
Amanda Moss (Newfoundland)
Encircled (Ontario)
Nettles Tale (British Columbia)

Personal care and cosmetics

Oak & Willow (Ontario) - Cleaning and personal care products
Clionadh Cosmetics (Ontario) - Handmade indie cosmetics

Home goods and gifts

Carreiro Clean (British Columbia) - Cleaning products
Stay Home Club (Quebec) - Gifts, home decor, and apparel. Disclaimer: Not all of their products are made in Canada. Please check the product's description, as they list where each product is made.
Hemlock & Oak (British Columbia) - Planners, stationery, and gifts

Conclusion

When Canadians spend their money on Canadian-made products they can be confident that they're supporting their local economy. They know that they're supporting ethical labour and more sustainable manufacturing. They can be sure that the products they'll receive are safe and of good quality.

Be sure to take a look at the businesses we've listed above. Maybe they can replace some of the imported products you'd have purchased in the past!