It takes a lot to infuriate Canadians, but U.S. President Donald Trump managed it easily with his threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian imports.
Reaction to the news was immediate: Buy Canadian has been the rallying cry from one end of the country to the other.
Politicians, concerned citizens and companies, big and small, have banded together to share resources directing consumers to local brands.
A survey last week from national pollster Angus Reid found 91 per cent of Canadians want to be less dependent on the United States in the future. Shopping, it turns out, is one way many of us feel we can take some of our power back.
While many consumers are turning to resources designed to help choose Canadian products in grocery stores, there are also myriad ways to support local businesses in the other areas of your life.
We spoke to three successful entrepreneurs to find out why being proudly Canadian has never been more important to them (plus to find out their favourite home-grown brands).
Knix Wear Inc., underwear and apparel
Joanna Griffith of KnixSupplied
Founder and CEO: Joanna Griffiths
When Griffiths launched Knix in 2013, it was a novel, risky concept: making size-inclusive, leak-proof underwear. She was pitching function in an industry that traditionally had marketed sexiness. In the past decade, the company has grown wildly, with a Knix product sold, on average, every six seconds. Now the brand also offers bras, sleepwear, shapewear, swimwear and maternity.
Knix employs 400 people in Canada and has 14 standalone stores. In 2022, Griffiths sold 80 per cent of her company to Swedish health-and-hygiene giant Essity for US$320 million. However, she still runs the operation with autonomy.
Challenge as a Canadian start-up
“We looked into manufacturing here and the first round of our products came out of Montreal,” says Griffiths. However, as sales increased, the facility did not have the capacity to keep up so Knix moved its manufacturing (and material sourcing) overseas, primarily to China. Knix operates two distribution centres in Canada, which handle orders across North America. It may have to set up a permanent warehouse in the U.S. because of the tariff threat.
Favourite local brands
Griffiths’s list is long: She wears only Canadian jewellery including Jenny Bird, Mejuri (both Toronto) and Hillberg & Berk (Regina). For shoes, Poppy Barley (Edmonton) and Montreal’s L’Intervalle. Clothing go-tos are Aritzia (Vancouver), Smythe (Toronto) and Moose Knuckles (outerwear from Montreal). Beauty favourites are NudeStix (Toronto), Cheekbone Beauty (St. Catharines), Evio, Paume, Sidia and Sahajan (all Toronto). And for purses she loves Samara (Toronto) and Poppy & Peonies (Penetanguishene, Ont.)
Proudly Canadian
“When speaking to investors, they often wanted me to move our headquarters to the U.S. and I said no,” says Griffiths. “The reason is that we would never have been able to scale to the point we are at now without the loyalty of our Canadian customers. I can’t stress enough how important it is to support Canadian brands when you can. It creates a ripple effect. Vancouver, for instance, has become a hub of Canadian apparel brands, including Herschel, Aritzia, Lululemon, Tentree, Arc’teryx, and countless others.”
How to support local
Last week, Griffiths put out a call on Instagram asking people to recommend their top Canadian brands. “The response was immediate and overwhelmingly supportive.” The company created and shared a crowdsourced list. “If you are loyal to a Canadian brand, talk about it on social media, and review it. Consumers rely on those to discover brands they can trust.”
Cozey, Canada’s first sofa-in-a box e-commerce company
Cozey’s Frederic AubeSupplied
Founder and CEO: Frédéric Aubé
Shortly after graduating from McGill University, Aubé identified a gap in the Canadian market for easy-to-assemble, space-saving furniture. He developed a modular sofa design for urban dwellers struggling to fit bulky furniture through tight doorways and stairwells.
In the spring of 2020, Aubé launched Cozey, which became a hassle-free alternative for people who couldn’t shop in store (it was the start of the pandemic) at a fair price point (a three-seater sofa is $1,000 to $1,800).
Today, Cozey employs about 200 people, 160 of whom are in Canada. It has one brick-and-mortar store in Toronto, three distribution centres in Canada (Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal) and one in Los Angeles.
Challenge as a Canadian start-up
To keep his products affordable and easy to purchase online, Aubé‘s only option was to source material and manufacture overseas, mainly in China and India.
“We consider ourselves a proudly Canadian company, 100 per cent owned and operated by Canadians,” says Aubé. “However, my experience has shown me that this country needs to invest in the resources we have and in our infrastructure so that we better support Canadian entrepreneurs and become a stronger trade partner for other countries.”
Favourite local brands
“I’m a big Lululemon fan,” says Aubé. One of his favourite home décor shops is a lighting company in Cowansville, Que., called Luminaire Authentik. His winter jacket is Kanuk from Montreal. And his fiance’s favourite skincare brand is Montreal’s IDC Dermo.
Proudly Canadian
“When I travel and I see brands such as Lululemon, Canada Goose and Arc’teryx, I feel so much pride,” says Aubé. “People should always be proud to buy Canadian. I just wish that it didn’t take threats like the impending tariffs for people to get on board with buying local.”
How to support local
Where a company is based should be abundantly clear on their website.He adds that consumers who feel guilty about not being able to buy strictly Canadian, because of a tight household budget, should cut themselves some slack. “If you can’t give up Costco, don’t beat yourself up. Costco is an American company but at the end of the day, it carries hundreds of Canadian brands who need support.”
Three Ships Beauty, a natural skincare brand
Laura Thompson and Connie Lo of Three Ships BeautySupplied
Co-founders: Connie Lo and Laura Thompson
As recent university grads, Lo and Thompson bonded over their shared frustration with rampant greenwashing in the beauty sector. Most products were overpriced and misled consumers “with marketing jargon and products that simply were not effective,” says Lo.
In 2017, they pooled their life savings (around $4,000) and began mixing ingredients in Lo’s tiny apartment to create a natural beauty brand dedicated to using products with science-backed, plant ingredients without any fillers or chemicals. They also wanted all their products to cost less than $55.
Today the brand sells 20 products, ranging from serums, creams, toners and biodegradable eye masks. The company employs 18 full-time employees and is a recognized industry leader fighting for clearer standards when it comes to marketing “natural” skincare.
Challenge as a Canadian startup
From the brand’s inception, its founders were adamant that manufacturing had to take place in Toronto, and to date, all of it is, except for two products that are made in South Korea.
Currently, Three Ships products are shipped from their Canadian warehouse, which means U.S. sales will be hit by the threatened tariffs. To avoid that, the founders are considering setting up a separate U.S. distribution arm.
Favourite local brands
The women have an arsenal of Canadian products they love, including furniture makers Sundays and Article (both Vancouver); beauty and skincare brands Paume, Sidia, Bathorium (all Toronto); the eco-conscious clothing brand Uncle Studios (Toronto); Jenny Bird jewellery; luggage from Vancouver-based Monos; and when they need a midday energy boost, protein chocolate bars from Mid-Day Squares of Montreal.
Proudly Canadian
“Buying Canadian to me means supporting or purchasing from brands where at least 50 per cent of production is based in Canada,” says Lo. News of the impending tariffs was a difficult way to start off the year, but “seeing how everyone has come together to support brands like ours has been so heartwarming.” She recommends consumers check out online sites such as the Indie Beauty Collection, Well.ca and TheDetoxMarket.ca, which sells scores of Canadian brands that are clearly identified.
How to support local
Lo says she is no longer going to order groceries online. “I did it because it was convenient. Now I’m going to carve out the time to visit a local grocery store and handpick Canadian goods.”
She also has a word of advice for people who would love to buy strictly Canadian, but for budget reasons, can’t. “If you can replace one product with a Canadian-made one, that’s a really good start.”
