There's been a lot of talk about tariffs lately.
US President Donald Trump announced recently that he is implementing 25% tariffs on a range of Canadian products and a 10% surcharge on oil.
Cue the eye rolls.
In response, the Canadian government fired right back by announcing 25% tariffs of their own on American products, worth up to $30 billion, with another layer of counter-duties $125 billion worth of American imports to come in just a few weeks.
Turn that eye roll into a look of, "Wow, now that's showing some metal!"
But it goes deeper than that on our side of the border.
The tariffs triggered turmoil in global markets and prompted the province of Ontario to cancel its contract with Elon Musk‘s Starlink satellite company and to ban American companies from provincial contracts.
In a written statement this past Monday, Ontario premier Doug Ford said, "Ontario won’t do business with people hell-bent on destroying our economy."
Joining Ontario are the provinces of Manitoba, B.C. and Nova Scotia, who have banned American liquor from store shelves, as political leaders pushed a “Buy Canadian” response to Trump’s weekend announcement of the tariffs being carried out.
Here at home in the Land of Living Skies, Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe is joining Alberta premier Danielle Smith in urging Ottawa to de-escalate the situation and hoping that cooler heads will prevail. Smith wrote in a Sunday op-ed piece for the National Post that, “Calm logical discussion is far more effective than ‘tough guy’ rhetoric when dealing with a misguided ally who has wronged us.”
I have to say, I'm with her on that mindset, but at the same time, I do have to say that I'm very proud to be Canadian right now.
However, that being said, I see that the knee-jerk response to Trump's actions by retailers across our country is now calling and advertising for more people to "Buy Canadian", and you know what? That's cool. But I really have to question why we haven't been more dedicated to buying and supporting more Canadian products..........this whole time to begin with?
I've always been a Hawkins Cheezies kind of guy, I prefer French's mustard to anyone else's, and when it comes to grilling hot dogs on the BBQ in those hot summer months, I'm buying Harvest brand - processed, smoked and cured right here at home in Saskatchewan. (Yorkton, to be even more precise)
From my perspective, it just kinda sucks that it has to take the decision of another country's leader to basically 'force the hands' of Canadians at supermarkets and local grocery stores to support more Canadian businesses.
We shouldn't be reduced to "forcibly" supporting Canadian products and services. We really should be making more of an effort to do so in the first place. Shouldn't we? Am I wrong in this regard? Aren't Canadian products cheaper in the first place as opposed to American ones sitting on the shelves? Do we just like spending more money on an allegedly "better" product?
But hey, I get it. It's called personal choice, and if someone prefers Doritos to Cheezies or Heinz to French's, that's perfectly fine.
What this all comes down to in the very end is ego. Donald Trump has an ego the size of Texas. Donald Trump has also talked recently of Canada becoming just another state in the U.S. That one had me laughing out loud. And why would he do this? Is it because from a legal point of view, Trump can't even step outside of his own country and into our own because of his laundry list of court matters? Is he saying this ridiculous clap-trap about Canada "joining" the U.S. just because he needs to be able to enter our country legally again?
I think the real question has to be - is Trump really this dense?
Regardless of how it started, I have to commend our Canadian leaders for standing up for our own products, goods and services. Sure, I wish it didn't have to take a massive layout of costly tariffs for some of us to have a hearty dose of Canadiana pride spill out of us, but it is what it is. Obviously, retailers and product makers will take it any way they can get it.
But hey, let's think about this for just a second. Let's say that ALL of this soap opera drama goes away this week, next week or maybe in March. No more costly tariffs, no more warring between political leaders who pledge to cut off services that come from America. Let's just imagine that it all goes away at the snap of your fingers.
Do you still support Canadian goods as much as you possibly can? Do store owners keep up those "Buy Canadian" signs? Or do we go back to our normal lives where we don't necessarily care where something comes from or that we're paying a few bucks more here and there?
That will be the real test here.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
