Tom Zalatnai

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Since President Trump’s inauguration, he has threatened tariffs, pulled back on those threats, offered a month’s reprieve, then finally threw down the gauntlet – at one minute after midnight last Tuesday, March 4 – putting them into effect: 25 percent on Canadian goods, and 10 percent on energy exports.

Meanwhile, Canadian consumers have been turning against American products and companies.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directly addressed Trump in a press conference, calling his actions “dumb,” promising retaliatory tariffs, and warning Canadians about what was to come. “I won’t sugarcoat it,” he said, “this is going to get tough.”

But after an allegedly tense, profanity-laced phone call between Trudeau and Trump on the following morning, Canada is off the hook until April 2.

How have Canadian consumers been responding? It depends.

Sara McQuaid of NDG says even if and when the tariffs end she won’t be buying American. She’s cancelled trips south, even swallowing hefty cancellation fees, and cancelled Amazon, Netflix, and Disney+. “It will take me an extra 10-15 minutes at a store to shop,” she says, “but to me it is worth every second because I will not allow my money to fund an oppressive regime.”

Tom Zalatnai, also of NDG, is between jobs with four mouths to feed. He says budget constraints will be the deciding factor, rather than political considerations. “A lot of the time people have to buy stuff that they’re not necessarily ethically cool with because it’s the thing they can afford that’s going to be the most nutritious for their family.” He says he will try to be more discerning at the grocery store, “but ultimately, it’s going to be the prices that decide things for me. If I buy Canadian more than American, it’ll just be because the Canadian stuff is cheaper.”

Grocery stores are finding ways to respond to customers’ worries. Loblaws and Supermarché PA have both come out with measures to weather the tariff storm, buying and highlighting products from Canada or sources other than American.

The Supermarché PA website already has a banner that says “Buy Canadian,” with a link to all Canadian-made products available in store. Operations Director Joanna Erimos says that 80 percent of their in-store products are already either Canadian or European. There are some challenges when it comes to products that are made here using local ingredients, but are American-owned (Habitant soup, as an example, is now manufactured in the U.S., and owned by Campbell’s). She says the PA team is keeping a close eye on the day-to-day changes. Kosher food is of particular concern, as most of it comes from the U.S. Rabbi Yisroel Bernath of Chabad NDG said that the tariffs have “put kosher food and wine in the crosshairs” a month ahead of Passover. It’s created “a modern-day crisis for Jewish families who rely on American imports to keep their traditions alive.” Retaliatory tariffs, if they’re implemented, would affect about 3,000 kosher products. Prices could skyrocket by up to 60 percent.

Kosher importers have been scrambling to bring in as much as possible before tariffs come into effect. Some grocery stores are already stocked with Passover products like matzah (unleavened bread), grape juice, and canned goods. But the SAQ has already removed American products from its shelves, including kosher wine. Bernath is suggesting that Jewish families stock up early, support local kosher suppliers, and make their voices heard, reaching out to their MPs to ask for exemptions. n