When I struggled through Economics in university, I hoped to never have to think about it ever again. But here we are. I’m sure you’ve heard about the current U.S. government’s plans to impose hefty tariffs on imports from countries like Canada, Mexico, and China, apparently starting February 1, 2025. These tariffs include a 25% tax on goods from Canada and Mexico and 10% on Chinese imports.
In response, many Canadians are flooding social media with “Support Canadian Businesses!” slogans, but it’s sounding a lot more like “Boycott American Companies!”
While these reactions might feel patriotic, they oversimplify a very complex issue. I’m gonna make it a little easier to understand. (Now’s a good time to tell you I didn’t do very well in Econ, so if I can grasp this stuff, I promise you can, too.)
WHAT’ THE F*%$ IS A TARIFF, ANYHOW?
A tariff is a tax that governments place on goods crossing their borders. It’s basically a surcharge added to the price of imported products. The idea is to make foreign goods more expensive so people buy domestic ones instead. For example:
- Without a tariff: A car part made in Canada costs $100 in the U.S.
- With a 25% tariff: The same car part now costs $125.
Why would someone pay $125 when they can get a similar part made in the U.S. for $100? They won’t, and that’s the point.
Why do governments impose tariffs?
- Protect domestic industries by making imports less competitive.
- Encourage local production and job creation.
- As leverage in trade negotiations or political disputes.
But tariffs also have consequences. They raise prices for consumers, disrupt global supply chains, and can lead to trade wars where countries retaliate with their own tariffs.
WHAT’S CANADA’S CURRENT TRADE DEAL WITH THE U.S.?
Canada’s main trade agreement with the U.S. (and Mexico) is called the USMCA—United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. In Canada, we call it CUSMA. This replaced NAFTA in 2020 and governs the rules for most of our cross-border trade.
Here’s the gist:
- Most goods move tariff-free: Canada and the U.S. don’t usually tax each other’s goods, so things like cars, food, and manufactured products cross the border freely.
- Exceptions exist: For example, Canadian dairy over certain quotas can face tariffs as high as 300%. Steel and aluminum also have tariffs under certain rules.
Think of the agreement as a shared kitchen: there are rules about who can use which ingredients and how they’re prepared, but everyone benefits from having access to a broader pantry.
WHY SHOULD WE CARE IF STUFF COSTS MORE IN THE U.S.?
At first glance, higher prices in the U.S. might seem like their problem. But if Americans stop buying Canadian goods because they’re too expensive, we lose our biggest customer. That means fewer jobs and a weaker economy here in Canada.
Canadian industries, like auto manufacturing and agriculture, rely on the U.S. for sales. Disruptions in these trade flows don’t just hurt businesses, they impact workers and their families.
WHY “SUPPORT CANADIAN” AND “BOYCOTT AMERICAN” AREN’T SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
There’s a lot more going on beneath the surface of slogans and hashtags. Here are some reasons why these reactions don’t work as planned:
BOYCOTTING AMERICAN COMPANIES HURTS CANADIANS
Many U.S.-owned companies operate in Canada, employing thousands of Canadians. If you boycott Walmart or Amazon, you’re not just taking a stand against the U.S., you’re also affecting your neighbours and friends who work for these companies.
Some of the biggest names you’ll recognize:
General Motors Canada: GM builds a lot of vehicles in Ontario, employing almost 6,000 Canadians.
McDonald’s Canada: They employ over 100,000 Canadians in McDonald’s restaurants and offices across the country.
Walmart Canada: Over 100,000 Canadians work in their stores, warehouses, and corporate offices.
Amazon Canada: Over 25,000 Canadians work in Amazon’s fulfillment centres, tech offices, and as delivery drivers. Avoiding Amazon might feel like taking a stand, but it affects local workers who are already in a tough industry.
Ford Canada: Ford employs about 7,000 Canadians in vehicle assembly plants in Oakville and Windsor. Starbucks Canada: Hundreds of Starbucks stores across Canada employ over 23,000 Canadians—students, young workers, managers, etc.
Coca-Cola Canada: Coca-Cola employs over 6,000 Canadians in bottling plants, warehouses, and offices.
Home Depot Canada: With over 30,000 Canadians employed in its stores, Home Depot is a big player in Canadian retail.
PepsiCo Canada: PepsiCo employs over 10,000 Canadians in factories, offices, and distribution.
Procter & Gamble Canada: Procter & Gamble employs approximately 2,000 Canadians, with facilities like their Belleville, Ontario plant producing diapers and paper goods.
IBM Canada: IBM provides jobs for over 10,000 Canadians in offices and research facilities across the country.
Microsoft Canada: Microsoft employs around 2,300 Canadians in sales, marketing, and development.
Johnson & Johnson Canada: With approximately 4,000 Canadians employed in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer goods, Johnson & Johnson is a significant player in Canada.
And if those aren’t enough for you:
3M’s Canadian headquarters are in London, Ontario and they have distribution centres across Canada.
Abbott Laboratories has a location in Mississauga, Ontario.
Accenture has offices in Toronto, Ontario; Vancouver, British Columbia; Montreal, Quebec; Calgary, Alberta; Ottawa, Ontario.
Adobe Systems has a large office in Toronto.
AMD Technologies Inc.’s Canadian headquarters are in Markham, Ontario.
American Express is in Toronto.
Apple’s Canadian head office is in Toronto, and they employ staff across many stores nationally.
AT&T has their Canadian offices in Toronto.
Bank of America also has a Toronto office.
Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffet’s company) manages their subsidiaries like Dairy Queen and BNSF (railway) in Canada.
Boeing’s Canadian head office is in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Canadian head office is in Laval, Quebec.
Cargill’s Canadian head office is in Winnipeg, and they have grain and meat processing plants all across Canada.
Caterpillar Inc.’s head office for Canada is in Edmonton, and they have dealer locations across Canada.
Chevron’s Canadian HQ is in Calgary.
Cisco Systems has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Ottawa.
Citibank’s Canadian head office is in Toronto.
ConocoPhillips has a location in Calgary.
Costco’s Canadian headquarters are in Ottawa, and they have over 100 stores across Canada employing thousands of workers.
Dell Technologies has an office in Toronto.
Deloitte has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, and Ottawa, and more.
Dow Chemical has their Canadian head office in Calgary, and other manufacturing sites across Alberta and Saskatchewan.
DuPont has their Canadian head office in Mississauga, Ontario, and many researching and production facilities across Canada.
eBay‘s Canadian headquarters are in Toronto.
Emerson Electric has their Canadian head office in Burlington, Ontario.
ExxonMobil operates in Canada via Imperial Oil, headquartered in Calgary (and they also have all the Esso gas stations nationwide).
Facebook (Meta) has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.
FedEx has a head office in Mississauga, Ontario, multiple distribution centres nationwide, and employs thousands of Canadians.
General Dynamics has an office in Ottawa.
General Electric has offices and plants in Mississauga, Peterborough, and Bromont (Quebec).
Goldman Sachs has an office in Toronto.
Google’s got offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Kitchener-Waterloo.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise has an office in Mississauga.
Hilton Worldwide has their Canadian headquarters in Mississauga, and all their hotels across Canada employ thousands of staff.
Honeywell has an office in Mississauga.
IBM’s Canadian headquarters are in Markham, Ontario, and they have research centres in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa.
Intel has offices in Toronto and Vancouver.
Johnson & Johnson has offices in Markham, Ontario.
JPMorgan Chase has their Canadian HQ in Toronto.
Kellogg’s has a Canadian head office in Mississauga, Ontario, and manufacturing plants in Ontario.
Kimberly-Clark has an office in Mississauga.
KPMG has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Edmonton, Halifax, and more.
Lockheed Martin has offices in Ottawa, Ontario; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; and Calgary, Alberta.
Marriott International has their Canadian headquarters in Toronto, and they own all the Marriott, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Residence Inn by Marriott, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, and Westin Hotels & Resorts across the country. Imagine how many people they employ.
Mastercard has an office in Toronto.
Merck & Co. (pharmaceuticals) has a Canadian head office in Kirkland, Quebec.
Microsoft has a Canadian head office in Toronto, and other locations in Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary for development and corporate operations.
Motorola’s Canadian headquarters are in Mississauga, Ontario.
Morgan Stanley has an office in Toronto.
Netflix has their Canadian head office in Toronto.
Nike’s Canadian headquarters are in Thornhill, Ontario and they have retail locations across the country.
Northrop Grumman has their Canadian headquarters in Kanata, Ontario.
Oracle’s Canadian head office is in Mississauga.
Pfizer’s Canadian HQ is in Kirkland, Quebec.
Philip Morris International has reps all across Canada, and a head office in Toronto.
Prudential Financial has an office in Toronto.
Raytheon Technologies’ Canadian head office is in Ottawa.
Salesforce has an office in Toronto.
Slack Technologies has their Canadian HQ in Vancouver.
S&P Global’s Canadian head office is in Toronto.
Starbucks has their Canadian head office in Toronto, and more than 1,400 stores across the country, employing thousands of people.
State Street Corporation has offices in Toronto.
Staples has retail locations all across Canada, employing thousands of staff, and their Canadian HQ in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Tesla has their Canadian HQ in Toronto, and retail locations across the country.
Texas Instruments has a Canadian head office in Toronto.
The Walt Disney Company’s Canadian head office is in Toronto.
Thermo Fisher Scientific has their Canadian head office in Burlington, Ontario.
Uber’s Canadian headquarters are in Toronto, but their ride-sharing and Uber Eats services are in pretty much all major Canadian cities.
United Airlines has Canadian offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal.
United Parcel Service (UPS) has their Canadian head office in Burlington, Ontario, and distribution centres (and delivery teams) all across Canada.
Visa Inc. has their Canadian head office in Toronto.
Walmart’s Canadian headquarters are in Mississauga, Ontario and with over 400 retail locations across Canada, you can just imagine the number of people employed by them from store to distribution to logistics, etc. Mind blowing.
Warner Music Canada has their Canadian headquarters in Toronto.
Wells Fargo’s Canadian office is in Toronto.
Western Digital’s Canadian office is in Toronto.
Xerox has a Canadian head office in Toronto.
Yahoo has a Canadian office in Toronto.
Yelp’s Canadian HQ is also in Toronto.
Yum! Brands (they own KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) has their Canadian head office in Vaughan, Ontario, plus allllll those restaurant locations employing alllll those people.
Not to mention every American-based clothing store, retailer, etc. Kinda mind-blowing, isn’t it?
Look, I get it—there are plenty of valid reasons to call out or even boycott some of these companies. They’re not saints. Some of them are run by some real assholes. But if we’re just lumping all U.S. companies together and pretending it’s a solution, we’re ignoring the reality that these are some of the largest employers in Canada. Boycotts might feel like a power move, but they often hit the people we see every day much harder than the people making decisions at head office.
CANADA AND THE U.S. ARE DEEPLY INTERCONNECTED
Canada and the U.S. are like puzzle pieces; our industries rely on each other. For example, Canadian lumber is essential for U.S. housing. If tariffs make it too expensive, U.S. builders suffer, and Canadian producers lose a key market.
“MADE IN CANADA” ISN’T ALWAYS WHAT YOU THINK
Global supply chains mean many products labeled “Made in Canada” include parts or materials from other countries. For example, a jacket sewn in Canada might use fabric from China and zippers from Japan.
ETHICS MATTER MORE THAN BORDERS
Not all Canadian companies are ethical, and not all international businesses are bad. Spending money based on values, not geography, often makes a bigger impact.
TARIFFS AND BOYCOTTS HURT EVERYONE
Tariffs and boycotts drive up prices and create economic strain on both sides of the border. If the U.S. taxes Canadian lumber, American homebuilders pay more, raising housing costs. If Canada retaliates with tariffs on U.S. produce, Canadians pay more at the grocery store. Businesses often can’t absorb these extra costs, leading to layoffs or closures.
SO, WHAT CAN WE DO INSTEAD?
Instead of posting reactionary slogans on social media:
BUY FROM ETHICAL BUSINESSES WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK
In the middle of economic uncertainty and tariff disputes, buying from ethical businesses can feel like a luxury. But there are ways to do it thoughtfully, without overspending:
Start with Big Impact Areas: Focus on items connected to trade disputes or tariff concerns, like steel, aluminum, dairy, or agricultural goods. For example, look for stuff like Fairtrade coffee to support ethical farming. Buy local produce during peak seasons, when it’s more affordable and fresh.
BALANCE BUDGET AND VALUES
If your budget is tight, focus on a mix of affordable essentials and occasional ethical purchases. Stick to budget stores for staples but support a local farmer or small business for special occasions or gifts.
RESEARCH BRANDS INVOLVED IN TRADE ISSUES
If you’re worried about which companies are ethical, start with a quick Google search like “[Brand Name] trade ethics” or “[Brand Name] tariffs.” Some businesses are actively working against unfair trade policies or supporting sustainability efforts.
SHOP LOCAL (THOUGHTFULLY)
While tariffs can increase costs on imported goods, buying local can sometimes help—but only if you’re strategic. If you’re buying the same imported goods but paying more because it’s a “small local business,” are you really making a positive impact overall?
Ask Questions: When you’re shopping at a local store, ask where their products come from. Some local shops prioritize Canadian-made or tariff-free products, while others might carry imports impacted by tariffs. A local gift shop might stock artisan goods from Canada, but they probably also sell imported goods.
Farmers’ Markets: If you’re buying food, markets are often a good place to find locally grown produce. Items grown in Canada aren’t subject to the same tariff-driven price hikes as imported goods.
Small Makers and Craftspeople: Buy handmade items created locally. But where does the hardware come from? Or the fabric? Let’s try not to overthink it. Buying directly from artisans supports local jobs and skips supply chain markups.
Start Simple: Pick one everyday item—like your coffee beans or jeans—and dig into its journey. Where was it grown? Where was it processed or assembled? Once you know more, making choices gets easier.
ADVOCATE FOR FAIR TRADE POLICIES
Fair trade policies aim to make trade between countries fairer, without damaging tariffs.
Vote smart: Support leaders with clear, balanced trade policies.
Join organizations: Groups like Canadian Fair Trade Network push for better practices.
Contact your MP: A quick email like, “Please support trade agreements that protect Canadian jobs” makes your voice heard.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Global trade is messy, but your role in it doesn’t have to be. Start small. Instead of dividing ourselves with slogans, we need to work toward thoughtful, values-driven decisions. It shouldn’t be about “Us vs. Them,” it should be about building an economy that works for everyone.
Phew, you made it. I hope that was less painful for you than my Econ classes were for me.
BONUS: Made in CA and Made in Canada Directory are great resources for finding smaller Canadian-owned and manufactured businesses, and HERE is a downloadable list of a few companies that are both Canadian-owned and manufactured, in case you’d like to see my personal cheat sheet. 🙂