Sask. NDP propose ‘Buy Local Day’ amidst ongoing U.S. trade war

WATCH: The Saskatchewan NDP introduced "Buy Local Day" amidst the ongoing trade war with the U.S. Wayne Mantyka reports.

The Saskatchewan NDP wants the first Saturday of every month to be declared “Buy Local Day” in the province and introduced legislation that stresses the importance of local business to the economy.

NDP MLAs and staff members recently stopped by Regina’s District Brewing Co. for a local pint of beer to mark the call.

They feel it’s now more important than ever to support local businesses and products made at home.

“People in Saskatchewan do such an incredible job of supporting our local businesses anyways, but this is a simple feel good symbolic but important thing that we can do,” NDP MLA Aleana Young said.

Local businesses have shown support for the idea.

“I love it, any sort of an initiative to get people to buy local and support Saskatchewan businesses, even if it’s just a small little thing that’s one Saturday, that’s going to give someone that effort, that push to be like, ‘Hey I am going to go out and shop local today maybe pick up a Saskatchewan product instead of something else,’ anything counts,” Hayden McPherson from District Brewing Co. in Regina said.

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The concept has been embraced by the provincial government who says its procurement reflects that.

“We are 99 per cent of the procurement in Saskatchewan done by government is done by Saskatchewan companies or Canadian companies, so we’re pretty proud of that,” Minister in charge of SaskBuilds David Marit said.

However, the province says instead of focusing on buying local one day of each month and says people should buy local everyday.