The U.S. boycott remains strong. Why many Canadians are digging in their heels 

Sophia Harris · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 10, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

It's shaping up to beryllium a grounds income twelvemonth astatine Maker House, an Ottawa acquisition store wherever astir everything successful the store — from furnishings to nutrient to greeting cards — is wholly made successful Canada. 

Hot sellers these days see a T-shirt with the recently iconic "elbows up" slogan, and cocoa bars wrapped successful quintessential Canadian expressions such arsenic "eh."

Founder Gareth Davies says year-over-year income surged by 150 per cent successful February, erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump archetypal announced plans to enforce tariffs connected Canadian goods, and ramped up his threats to marque Canada the 51st state.

At the time, galore Canadians pledged to boycott U.S. question and goods, and enactment the Buy Canadian question arsenic a mode to explicit their anger. 

Davies says income since then have continued to enactment strong: they're presently up by 80 per cent, and astir doubled during the week starring up to Canada Day.

"It's similar a large hug from your neighbours crossed the state saying, 'You know, we're successful this unneurotic and we're going to support our state and our economy,'" helium said. "I, successful my gut, believe it volition past arsenic agelong arsenic the vitriol lasts from the south."

Boycotts often wane implicit clip arsenic radical suffer involvement and instrumentality to aged habits. But galore Canadians' resoluteness to boycott the U.S. and absorption connected Canadian products has remained strong, and shows nary signs of dissipating.

A bulk of Canadians polled successful a caller survey said they're actively supporting the Buy Canadian movement, and enactment stores removing U.S. products. Plus, Canadian question to the U.S. has steadily declined since Trump took bureau successful January. 

Trump tin instrumentality overmuch of the credit, arsenic helium continues to muse astir Canada becoming the 51st authorities and endanger caller tariffs; conscionable this week helium announced plans to enforce a 50 per cent tariff connected copper.

"He's really keeping it apical of mind. He's keeping the boycott going," said June Cotte, a prof of selling astatine Western University's Ivey Business School successful London. 

She added the media helps substance the boycott by giving Trump airtime each clip helium takes cookware shots astatine Canada. 

The question boycott

Rather than wane, the Canadian boycott of U.S. continues to grow. 

In May, the fig of instrumentality trips among Canadians travelling to the U.S. dropped by 24 per cent for aerial question and by a whopping 38 per cent for onshore travel.

Cotte says different crushed for the boycott's staying powerfulness is it's not a large situation for galore Canadians, due to the fact that they tin often find domestic replacements for American products similar food, and they tin question to different countries or research their own. 

However, boycotting U.S. question is problematic for Ottawa nonmigratory Emily Olmstead, who has household successful the U.S. Fortunately, her parents, Diane and Don, who unrecorded in Ohio, are blessed to trek to Canada.

"They're present visiting me, and not the different mode around," said Olmstead, portion browsing Maker House with her parents.

Like galore Canadians, Olmstead says she's buying section arsenic overmuch arsenic she can, and avoiding U.S. question for governmental reasons. 

"I americium beauteous displeased with the crook successful American authorities and the presumption of the narration betwixt Canada and the United States," she said. "I deliberation I've conscionable got to bash the champion that I tin to enactment Canada close now." 

Buy Canadian continues

It's harder to pinpoint the occurrence of the Buy Canadian movement, arsenic nary hard information exists. 

But an online survey conducted past period connected behalf of Lightspeed, an e-commerce bundle provider, recovered that of the 1,000 Canadians polled from June 5 to 10, much than three-quarters said they support Canadian retailers removing U.S. goods from store shelves.

On apical of that, two-thirds said they're currently buying for, oregon focusing connected buying Canadian goods, according to the survey conducted by Censuswide.

"It's a beauteous precocious priority," said Aaron Clark of Ottawa who came to Maker House to bargain a day present. "I'm precise overmuch a protagonist of keeping things Canadian, supporting our economy."

And alternatively than losing interest, Clark said helium plans to ramp up his commitment. 

"I'd accidental it's going to go much of a habit, astatine slightest for the adjacent fewer years."

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A Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) survey besides suggests the aboriginal is agleam for the Canadian-made industry. 

Of the 2,190 businesses the CFIB polled successful May, 40 per cent reported accrued income of Canadian made products since the commencement of the commercialized war.

"It's been a precise pleasant astonishment to spot it support going," said Ryan Mallough, CFIB's vice-president of legislative affairs and communications.  

"And determination doesn't look to be, astatine slightest truthful far, overmuch of an appetite to instrumentality to the U.S. products."

The survey besides recovered that galore businesses noted a diminution successful income of American goods. 

Will it last?

Even if Trump continues to dainty Canada arsenic an adversary alternatively than an ally, the rationale for the boycott would logically expire erstwhile helium completes his four-year term. 

"Most boycotts yet commencement to peter out, truthful that volition happen," said Cotte. 

But Mallough suggests that, for immoderate Canadians, the U.S. boycott whitethorn go habit. 

He compares it to the caller postal onslaught wherever galore tiny businesses switched to backstage carriers retired of necessity, and chose not to instrumentality to Canada Post aft the onslaught ended. 

"One of the things that the commercialized warfare has done is afforded a batch of america arsenic consumers … the accidental to look astatine Canadian products successful a caller light," said Mallough.