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From the moment U.S. President Donald Trump unleashed his reciprocal tariffs last April on what he touted as ‘Liberation Day’, the ‘Buy Canadian’ movement took hold and a wave of economic patriotism swept nationwide.

But as months pass and the economic realities of higher prices have continued to set in, some financial experts are now questioning has the concentrated effort to support Canadian businesses and boycott products produced in the U.S. begun to waver.

“Typically, boycotts don’t work because there is a lot of energy up front, along with a great deal of enthusiasm and anger, and then it hits kind of a stasis and people sort of forget about them,” says Brad Davis, a retired Associate Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, who specializes in consumer behaviour and trends.

“This has been very different and there has been kind of the continual reinforcement since (President) Trump continually insults Canadians. And just the fact that he has become kind of the target sort of reinforces it.”

He says the continued push to boycott American products has been unusual since large companies, often the targets of boycotts themselves, have now joined in referring to Canadian grocery giants and Canadian-based chains taking U.S. products off the shelf, including wines and spirits, and making a concentrated effort to identify Canadian-made products.

Degree of co-operation

“There’s kind of a degree of co-operation that you just don't see normally with boycotts, and I think that kind of helps sustain it,” says Brad. “But there's no question that you're going to get kind of attrition. People just sort of drift back.”

According to a recent Nanos poll conducted for CTV, 45% of respondents surveyed said that “cost” was a potential barrier in buying Canadian goods for the holidays, while 33% of people surveyed said “availability” was a deterrent.

However, the Business Development Bank of Canada stated that 60% of the average $943 Canadians were expected to spend on gifts this holiday season would be spent on domestic products and services.

Meanwhile, Deloitte Canada said 73% of the 1,000 people it surveyed between Aug. 27 and Sept. 5 indicated they purchased products that support local or Canadian-owned businesses and 56% wanted to buy gifts that support neighbourhood or small businesses.

Also, a 2025 survey by Angus Reid Institute showed that 85% of Canadians said they had already replaced, or planned to replace, U.S.-made products with Canadian alternatives - either wherever possible (48%) or when price and quality were comparable (37%).

This could be an indication the ‘Buy Canadian’ movement is far from collapsing, something Ipsos (Global Marketing Research) has recognized after noting that a substantial segment of Canadians have intended to prioritize domestic goods and believe in supporting local businesses. 

However, it appears the shift toward Canadian-made purchases seems to be plateauing or normalizing, rather than continuing to grow. The early surge - driven by constant tariff news, patriotic backlash, and media attention - appears to be settling into a more measured, mixed behaviour where price, convenience, and availability matter more.

Cost a dominate factor

“Brand royalties can shift and stick, but often there's kind of a natural drift back,” says Brad, referring to consumers’ tastes and habits. “We're very good at compartmentalizing things sometimes, or rationalizing things, too.”

As a result, there are some ‘cracks’ beginning to show in the ‘buy Canadian’ mentality according to the Bank of Canada which reported some retailers are signalling fatigue or a slowdown. 

For example, Metro Inc. - one of Canada’s major grocers - said in mid-2025 that while Canadian items are still selling better than non-Canadian ones, the ‘buy Canadian’ bump decelerated.

Cost has been the dominate factor when it comes to driving consumer spending, as outlined in an industry report earlier this year that indicated 75% of Canadians said they would pay more for local food, while 62% admitted they pick the cheaper imported product when faced with a price difference. 

“We're always kind of looking for that sweet spot. How much inconvenience are you willing to endure for the cause? What’s the breaking point where the ‘elbows’ come down?” says Brad, referring to what Canadians are willing to spend. “The easiest boycotts to support are the ones where you don’t buy that product anyway and the hardest are when you’re asking people to dramatically change their behaviours.”

Focus on the impacts

In terms of the ‘bigger picture’, he says the boycott of American-made goods has not brought the U.S. economy to its knees but has greatly impacted the wine and spirits industry in that country, along with smaller operations along the border, not to mention U.S. tourism.

“Las Vegas would love to get back more Canadian tourists,” says Brad, adding focusing on these impacts could re-energize the boycott as Canadians’ sense of patriotism stands firm.

He refers to research conducted by Molson Canadian more than a decade ago during the height of the company’s famous red beer fridge campaign noting that Canadians traditionally displayed their patriotism on three occasions: Canada Day; an international event like the Olympic Games; or while travelling.

“How do you define being Canadian?” says Brad, explaining Canadians have always been very quick to point out they are not 'like Americans’. “We kind of define ourselves by not being THEM so much. It’s almost sometimes like Canadians need permission to display their patriotism and I think the concept of ‘Elbows Up’ has given us permission to do that.”