Here we go again with Canada-U.S. trade tensions.
More escalation. And once again, more attention is being paid to buying Canadian.
We’ve been here before. When this all started in early 2025, the reaction was strong. Canadian flags appeared on shelves, consumers were vocal about avoiding U.S. products, and brands rushed to make their Canadian credentials as visible as possible.
By the spring of 2025, some of that intensity had started to wane. Pragmatism set in.
Canadians were already feeling the squeeze of rising costs, and that meant making harder decisions on everyday purchases. We see this consistently in our broader research on economic confidence and the Canadian shopper: consumers are paying close attention to value, comparing their options and making trade-offs.
So now that trade tensions have escalated again, an obvious question is: is Buy Canadian coming back too?
Are Canadians buying Canadian again?
The interest is certainly still there.
Nearly two-thirds of Canadians (64%) say they plan to look more actively for products made in Canada given the current trade tensions with the U.S. Half say they will look more actively for products from Canadian-owned companies, while 45% plan to avoid U.S.-made products.
And perhaps just as telling, only 10% say they do not plan to change what they buy at all.
So even if some of the initial elbows-up intensity has faded, the trade war is still shaping how Canadians think about their purchases.
But interest in buying Canadian does not mean price stops mattering.
When Canadians consider switching to a Canadian-made alternative, price comes first at 67%, followed by product quality at 56%. “Made in Canada” matters to 45%, but it does not replace the fundamentals.
The same tension shows up when consumers are asked what they would actually pay. About four in ten are willing to pay at least some premium for a comparable Canadian-made product. But almost half would only choose Canadian if it cost the same or less than the U.S. alternative, and only 9% would pay more than a 10% premium.
That raises a more useful question for CPG brands.
How much is “Made in Canada” actually worth in your category?
Is Canadian origin truly driving a change in behaviour, or is it more of a tie-breaker once price, quality and performance are taken into account?
How much of the current reaction is being driven by renewed trade tensions? And if tensions ease again, does some of that sentiment fade with them?
There is also the question of fatigue. Canadians have been hearing about tariffs, Buy Canadian and elbows up for well over a year. Does continuing to emphasize Canadian origin strengthen a brand, or does the message eventually start to blend into the background?
Age adds another layer to that question. Made in Canada is a top switching influence for 60% of Canadians aged 55 and older, compared with just 25% of those aged 18 to 34. Younger Canadians remain much more driven by price.
That gap is a reminder that a national headline number can only take a brand so far.
For U.S. and international brands, the questions may be even more important. How strong is your existing brand equity? Is it enough to overcome a renewed preference for Canadian alternatives? How much protection do trust, quality, product performance or simply years of habit provide?
And at what point does a tariff-related price increase become enough to make someone reconsider a product they may have been buying for years?
How likely are Canadians to switch if tariffs raise prices?
The switching risk is real.
When Canadians are asked what they would do if tariffs increased the price of a U.S.-made product they regularly buy, half say they would look for a Canadian-made alternative.
The willingness to switch is also high across several major consumer categories:
- Food and beverages: 88%
- Household cleaning products: 84%
- Personal care: 83%
- OTC health and wellness: 81%
But those numbers should not be read as forecasts for any one brand.
The trade war is fluid. Consumer sentiment is fluid. And what people say they intend to do in response to a political or economic event does not always translate neatly into what happens when they face an actual choice at the shelf.
That is why the more useful questions for CPG brands are becoming increasingly specific:
What is happening in my category? With my consumers? At my price point? Against my competitors? And is it changing?
We already know that Made in Canada matters.
The bigger question is when it matters, for whom it matters and how much it matters before price, quality and habit take over.
Navigate the CPG landscape with confidence. Connect with our team to uncover the insights, strategies, and solutions you need to stay ahead of shifting consumer priorities and navigate the complexities of today’s trade war.
