HALIFAX 鈥� Canadians are using their wallets to show their patriotism in the face of punishing U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.
Haligonians interviewed Tuesday said they are focused on buying Canadian whenever possible, as U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs on products from Canada, and a 10 per cent levy on energy. Many said they had already stopped purchasing American products, as Trump had been threatening tariffs for months.
In downtown Halifax, Darcy Comeau said there is nothing Canadians can do about tariffs other than change their buying habits, adding that people should find as many alternatives as possible to goods from south of the border.
"I think we should really cut them off, and we should stay (buying) 100 per cent Canadian,鈥� he said.
Christopher Hart, a Halifax resident who is a dual Canada-U.S. citizen, said he鈥檚 furious with Trump.
"He鈥檚 done so many things that are just wrong," he said. "I didn鈥檛 vote for him, I did vote in the election. I think he鈥檚 sowing a lot of uncertainty and division."
Hart said he's a "wine guy" and California wines have long been a favourite, but he won鈥檛 buy any wine made with American grapes from now on. "I鈥檓 not going to buying any U.S. stuff, frankly. It鈥檚 sad, but it鈥檚 where I鈥檓 at," he said.
Halifax-based Narrative Research released a poll Tuesday indicating three-quarters of Canadians have changed at least one purchasing behaviour since Trump began threatening Canada with tariffs. The online poll conducted from Feb. 12-14 among 1,232 Canadians over the age of 18 asked if residents had sought out Canadian products, looked at labels to avoid U.S.-made items or cancelled a trip south of the border.
Matthew Brown, who manages a restaurant in downtown Halifax, said the tariffs are a huge source of worry, and he's focused on buying local wherever possible.
"I鈥檓 definitely a proud Canadian, so [I'm] going to do my part where I can to buy products that are Canadian, anything we can do for the economy. But at the end of the day, this is a scary thing," he said.
"Is this going to be enough? Is our economy going to survive without our southern friends that we thought were our allies? There鈥檚 a lot of questions."
In response to the across-the-board tariffs, the federal government on Tuesday announced immediate 25 per cent retaliatory tariffs on $30 billion worth of American products, and will expand them to cover another $125 billion in U.S. goods in 21 days.
Across the country, provincial governments have announced measures responding to the tariffs, including barring American businesses from bidding on provincial contracts and removing U.S. alcohol from liquor store shelves.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2025.
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
