543
Buy Canadian (more or less) (www.robcottingham.ca)
submitted 1 week ago by Mee@reddthat.com to c/canada@lemmy.ca
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[-] bane_killgrind@slrpnk.net 9 points 6 days ago

Yeah absolutely picking between the lowest % US owned suppliers right now

[-] cerement@slrpnk.net 53 points 1 week ago

Ahh yes, another "it can't be done perfectly, so subtext, you shouldn't bother at all"

An imperfect boycott beats no boycott. Do your best initially and then keep working to improve it.

They're scared. Don't let them off the hook because it's hard

That's not what this is at all

[-] Sixtyforce@sh.itjust.works 29 points 1 week ago

I'd like some sort of crackdown on all these deceptive labels. New rules, whatever.

We can do our best without that support, but I'd always prefer enabling everyone to give even less money to the USA.

Yeah an ownership and local production percentage label like the Australian one posted on here the other day would be good

[-] Sixtyforce@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago

We're pretty good at copying their homework for better and much worse (their disastrous payroll software choices) so maybe it's time I write to the MP for once.

[-] thijsje@social.vivaldi.net 13 points 1 week ago

@thanksforallthefish @Mee Dont let the good be the enemy of the perfect. We have the same over here in #Europe Every once in a while someone pops up and says 'what phone are you using Yuropoor hahaha gotcha'. If it was inconsequential it wouldnt cause such a stir.

Its a Marathon not a sprint.

Regardless thanks to you good people from #Canada for showing the way with #BuyCanadian and kickstarting the #BuyFromEU

[-] adespoton@lemmy.ca 52 points 1 week ago

Yesterday I saw a McDonald’s supply truck that said “Egg McMuffins without Canadian farmers” and it had a picture of a McMuffin without the egg.

My first thought was “shouldn’t there have been nothing there at all?”

[-] garbagebagel@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago

These have been around since before though. I always used to see a similar one but with beef burgers. They show off about how Canadian their product is when the truth is legally they have to use egg/milk and I guess beef products in Canada because we have different (better) standards than American counterparts.

[-] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago

McDonald's has always sourced a lot of their inputs regionally.

It saves on shipping costs and reduces shipping delays. And it allows them to not be locked to a single (potentially vulnerable to shortages) global supplier of anything.

[-] painfulasterisk1@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

That sounds like attempting to purchase a pineapple-flavored apple pie

[-] reddig33@lemmy.world 31 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Buying “Canadian“ is going to be just as difficult as buying “American“.

In a global economy:

  • a company may be headquartered in a particular nation
  • but the corporate charter will be in somewhere that’s a tax haven
  • and the employees will be located in multiple countries
  • and the product is either manufactured or assembled in factories across the globe
  • from parts or ingredients that come from many countries

Some of those places might actually be Canada.

🤷‍♂️

[-] merc@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago

On the other hand, if your goal is to buy things that are non-American, it gets easier.

I'm happy to buy things from Australia or Denmark. I just don't want to buy American things. If it's assembled in Norway from minerals mined in Canada and then boxed up in Germany, the key thing is that it's not American.

focus on made in canada with canadian ingredients/components where possible. The majority of the money is therefore staying in Canada even if the ownership & thus profits are from somewhere else. Profits from most goods outside tech are usually much much smaller than the cost.

As momentum builds it will become better known who are 100%, or approaching, local. It will also benefit the companies who are local to advertise it loudly, so those who are silent can be assumed to not be.

It's never going to be 100%, there will always be some things you can't get elsewhere but consciously avoiding makes a difference.

Foreign tourist inflows to the US are now down 25 to 75% for example. Just because some are still going doesnt mean they haven't noticed

[-] PlaidBaron@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago

Honestly most times it just takes a little research. If a boycott is worth doing, its worth putting in the effort to do it right.

[-] Windex007@lemmy.world 53 points 1 week ago

On the flip side, anything worth doing is worth doing imperfectly.

100% of the population boycotting at 50% efficacy is much better than 1% of the population doing it PERFECTLY.

Never ever ever alienate or talk down to (or about) people who are acting in a way that is directionally correct, even if it doesn't meet your personal standard.

[-] 200ok@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

Agreed. We're all just trying to do our best. I appreciate the education, but all-or-nothing thinking leads to people just giving up completely.

There are still some things I'm struggling to find acceptable replacements for, but I'm trying ❤️

[-] PlaidBaron@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

Im not talking down. Im saying if you want to go all out you can with some research.

[-] OctaviaMeowzly@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

we should buy european or canadian (or basically anywhere other then american or chinese) (also buyeuropean@feddit.uk shoutout)

[-] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 16 points 1 week ago

Ooof. Pretty much... Pretty sad.

[-] glibg@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 week ago

Marketing is just fancy lying.

[-] nik282000@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 days ago

Marketing is convincing people to give up money they need for stuff they didn't want.

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 1 week ago

It's still not hard to find a product that just isn't, though.

[-] psx_crab@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 week ago

Good. Demand should control the supply and not the other way around.

[-] pennomi@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Okay but all these capitulations are winning the capitalism battle while losing the culture war. It will backfire if it goes on long enough.

[-] lobut@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago
[-] garbagebagel@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I'm not 100% that I understand/agree with what they're saying but on a personal level, I don't feel comfortable with the "purchase Loblaws" instead of "purchase Walmart" since both are capitalist companies and neither care about human rights ("culture war") regardless of their country of origin.

I say buy local/small business to support the economy and fuck capitalist pigs like the Waltons or the Westons (recognizing that comes from a privileged pov of being able to afford to boycott those companies.)

[-] lobut@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago

Yeah, I absolutely agree with that. I haven't upped my Loblaws budget after quitting Walmart. I've been going to more local shops and stuff. I have been paying more, but I've been attributing it to the higher quality goods/services.

Also, even besides all of this US "hatred" stuff. In general, we should be shopping local for the environment and to support smaller and local businesses.

[-] pennomi@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

By embracing anti-American culture, these American companies are telling people that it’s not just okay, but desirable to shop Canadian (which is true but not the takeaway the companies actually want you to learn).

For now it’s easy to put on a mask, because consumers are unpracticed at making boycott decisions, but they will eventually learn and stop buying at the deceptive American companies too.

this post was submitted on 13 Apr 2025
543 points (98.6% liked)

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