As the trade war between Canada and the U.S. wages on, Canadians’ sense of patriotism is translating into changing buying habits. Businesses have added labels to Canadian products and Canada-U.S. relations have become a leading issue as Canadians head to the polls for the April 28 federal election.
University of Guelph faculty have been lending their voices to this issue, appearing in the media to discuss the surge in Canadian pride and how tariffs are impacting the lives of Canadians.
Buying Canadian at the grocery store
Dr. Mike von Massow, a food economist in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, has spoken to multiple news outlets about why customers are choosing to buy Canadian at the grocery store and the challenges of determining how much of a product was actually grown or produced in Canada.
“There’s an advantage to being broader,” von Massow told CBC Marketplace in a story about grocery store labels. “Having a broader definition means you can label more things and make it easier for things to go in baskets.”
Speaking to The Canadian Press, von Massow encouraged people to follow their own values when it comes to grocery shopping. “The best way to save money by buying Canadian is to think seasonally and to be flexible,” he said in an interview. He also recommended looking for products from other non-U.S. countries, rather than solely focusing on buying Canadian.
Pride in the Canadian flag
When sales of Canadian flags soared ahead of Flag Day’s 60th anniversary in February, Drs. Matthew Hayday and Timothy Dewhirst, professors in the Departments of History and Marketing and Consumer Studies, respectively, wrote a commentary in the Toronto Star.
“Flag-waving doesn’t always come naturally to Canadians,” they wrote. “But in times of national passion or national crisis, the maple leaf is a symbol that Canadians can rally behind.”
Dr. Julie Simmons, a professor in the Department of Political Science, also weighed in on Canadian pride ahead of Flag Day, sharing that people have a lot of reasons to feel proud to be Canadian.
“We have public health care, we’re more egalitarian, we have quality public schools, and we have a long tradition of being deferential and kind and team players on the national and international stage,” Simmons told CTV Kitchener.
Canadians cancelling trips to the U.S.
The rising tension with the U.S. has caused many Canadians to reconsider travelling to the United States. Some Canadians have encountered challenges at the border, and the Canadian dollar has suffered throughout the trade war, making travel to the U.S. more expensive.
Dr. Hwansuk Chris Choi, a professor in the School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, says flight bookings from Canada to the U.S. have dropped by 70 per cent in recent months.
“Industry experts have observed that the heightened political tension is prompting Canadians to rethink their travel plans, with many favouring local or non-U.S. destinations over the traditional American trips they once preferred,” Choi told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo.
Airlines are responding to the drop in bookings to the U.S., Choi says, and the result could translate into boosts to local economies as Canadians stay closer to home.
A ‘generational’ election
Political scientist Simmons has spoken to multiple outlets about how the federal election campaign is really focused on one major issue: Canada-U.S. relations and how that issue could impact voter turnout.
“On the one hand, we might expect that because it’s a generational election, there would be a higher voter turnout,” Simmons said to CBC Windsor. “If we look at the precedent set by the provincial election, we might hesitate in drawing that conclusion at this time.”
Faculty members are available for interviews.
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Contact:
Dr. Hwansuk Chris Choi
hwchoi@uoguelph.ca
Dr. Timothy Dewhirst
dewhirst@uoguelph.ca
Dr. Matthew Hayday
mhayday@uoguelph.ca
Dr. Mike von Massow
mvonmass@uoguelph.ca
Dr. Julie Simmons
simmonsj@uoguelph.ca