Canadians buying local in wake of tariffs

Since the United States slapped hefty tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum in May, many Canadians are fighting back with their wallets, going out of their way to keep the buck Canuck.

Many people across Canada have been encouraging others to shop local and purchase Canadian made products.

"It’s kind of inspired us to support more. Really buy Canadian, be proud we're Canadian,” Regina Farmers Market attendee Luke McBain said.

In Regina, places like Sherwood Co-op Food Store are encouraging customers to buy local products. The store often posts local products on its social media pages and hosts local flavour Friday to promote vendors in the area.

"More and more people are looking for that local item that they can purchase, that they can make that connection with the vendor that's within the community,” Sherwood Co-op Food Store Manager Dean Shaw said.

Shaw says the sale of Canadian products has gone up noticeably.

"We've had a few customers say that they definitely are going to support more Canadian within the store,” Shaw said.

Some Reginans are heading to farmers’ markets to buy even more local goods.

Although this push to buy Canadian began back in May, some Canadians are still going out of their way to spend as little as possible on American products.

"We just were on a holiday down to Portland and I do think that we tried to buy a little bit less than we normally would,” Regina Farmers Market attendee Jillian Tunison said.

"They want to support local. And it's important to them,” Shaw said.