Price vs. patriotism: How to shop Canadian without blowing your budget

A shopper reaches for groceries at a grocery store in Toronto, Thursday, May 30, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

After U.S. President Donald Trump began threatening to impose tariffs on Canadian goods, Cassandra Juradinho wound up in the produce section of her grocery store unable to locate romaine lettuce grown domestically.

Rather than go without salad for the week, the Toronto woman got creative, picking up cucumbers grown locally to take the place of lettuce.

The swap was cheaper and it allowed her to buy Canadian, thus serving as an example of how shoppers can join in on the growing desire to support domestic businesses while coping with strained budgets.

Prioritizing both is possible but can be difficult.

“This tariff war comes in the midst of an affordability crisis in this country,” Juradinho said in an email. “I understand the sentiment that decentring cost in your purchasing decisions comes with a certain level of privilege.”

• Latest news & updates on tariffs and the trade war here

To balance prices with patriotism, experts agree shoppers should first evaluate how much they can comfortably spend and then think about how staunch they want to be about shopping Canadian.

Some products might not meet the criteria to sport the top-tier “product of Canada” label — where all, or nearly all, of the materials or ingredients, processing and labour must be Canadian — but still have ties to the country.

For example, their ingredients might be grown in a region where the climate is more hospitable or where materials are cheaper or more plentiful, but the bulk of the manufacturing or packaging is done here. In other cases, a company is headquartered in Canada but gets its products made overseas or is based elsewhere but does most of its manufacturing here.

Juradinho prioritizes products from companies that support Canadian jobs, even if they aren’t owned by Canadians, but recommends people don’t be too strict with whatever mandate they give themselves because if you’re “too rigid, it isn’t likely to stick.”

How firm you want to be about what counts as Canadian is a personal decision, said Mike von Massow, a University of Guelph professor and food economist.

“We should do what makes sense for us as individuals or as households or as families,” he said. “I won’t judge anyone for the choices they make, as I would hope no one judges me for the choices I make.”

To figure out where a product was made, he recommends reviewing labels, and if you’re still confused contact the manufacturer.

Juradinho has also tried out apps like MapleScan or Shop Canadian, which provide product origin info, and uses Facebook groups designed to trade tips around how to buy Canadian to learn more about what brands are domestic.

While both methods can be imperfect, she said, “there have been many times in the grocery store aisle when I can’t find an adequate non-American replacement product and I will open the Facebook group on the spot, type ‘orange juice’ for example, and get a Canadian brand recommendation that imports oranges from Brazil instead of Florida.”

Taneesha Greaves, a Toronto-based content creator hosting an affordable recipe series called Tariff Takeback, recommends people don’t leave their research for the store.

She suggests those wanting to shop Canadian while sticking to their budget scour flyers to find out what domestic products are on sale in advance.

“When I plan my recipes, I’ll go on the grocery store website and then look at the labels, look at the pricing and kind of build the plan around that,” she said.

When she finds a Canadian ingredient she wants to use, she compares flyers from different supermarkets to uncover which grocer is selling it for the lowest price. The practice can help shoppers price match, when some stores meet their competitors’ prices on the same items.

The same methods can be used for non-food products, said Jenna Jacobson, an associate professor focused on retail at Toronto Metropolitan University.

She also recommends signing up for newsletters for Canadian brands to learn when they’re offering deals or sales, or visiting farmers markets, craft fairs and local mom-and-pop shops to locate items made domestically.

While many people believe buying Canadian is often more expensive because labour can be more costly here than elsewhere, she said that’s often not true. Some Canadian products are no more expensive than their competitors.

In cases when Canadian products are more costly, Jacobson challenges shoppers to think about how well-made their options are.

“Trying to invest in some of those higher quality Canadian items that are going to last longer is an environmentally friendly strategy, but also, budget-friendly strategy,” she said.

If you don’t have the means to buy high-quality items new, she recommends looking for Canadian products at thrift stores or on websites selling second-hand goods.

The success shoppers will have when trying to buy Canadian and adhere to a budget will vary wildly based on what they’re looking for.

Juradinho said it’s much more difficult to find Canadian personal care and beauty products but recommends trying Canadian brands like e11ement, Vivier, Di Morelli, Cheekbone Beauty, Ilia, Skinfix, Nudestix, Cake and Three Ships.

When it comes to sourcing Canadian dairy, eggs, meat, cheese, and bread, she’s noticed it’s much easier.

That’s because the vast majority of dairy products found in grocery stores are made domestically, von Massow said, giving people wanting to shop Canadian more options among private labels and sales to stay within their budget.

There’s less leeway with produce because the country’s growing season is so limited, so von Massow said you’d be hard pressed to find broccoli or cauliflower grown domestically this time of year, unless it came from a greenhouse.

“The best way to save money by buying Canadian is to think seasonally and to be flexible,” he said.

At his house, that has meant occasionally swapping salad for coleslaw made with Canadian kale and carrots, until summer makes it easier to find lettuce grown here.

If you’re stuck when looking for a particular vegetable grown domestically, try the freezer aisle, where there are a lot of Canadian options, he said.

“Because of the flash freezing they now maintain their texture quite nicely and if you’re willing to switch ... you can probably do it in an affordable way.”

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Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2025.

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U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on trading partners are set to take effect on April 2, a day he has proclaimed as “Liberation Day” for American trade. CTV News will have extensive coverage across all platforms:

• CTVNews.ca will have in-depth coverage, real-time updates, and expert analysis on what the tariffs will mean for Canadians.
• CP24.com will report on any developments out of Queen’s Park and what the tariffs means for the people of the GTHA.
• BNNBloomberg.ca will explain what this means for the business community, investors, and the market.