Canadian vs U.S. Brands

At this point, you’ve probably heard talk of the tariffs implemented on Canada by the U.S., an act that has already begun to divide our countries economically.

This decision has driven many Canadians to swap U.S. products for Canadian alternatives, influencing a surge in supporting local businesses. 

At FinlyWealth, we’re all for shopping locally and domestically, which is why we’ve pieced together a comprehensive guide that provides Canadian substitutes for your favourite U.S. retailers.

Settle in and keep reading to shift the items on your grocery list, the clothing on your back, and the products on your skin to Canadian-owned creations. We’ll even be sure to include some small businesses, plus a handful of our Canadian rebate partners – because who doesn't want to shop Canadian and earn cashback?

First, What are Tariffs?

Simply put, tariffs require the companies importing products from one country to another to pay fees to account for things like taxes and duties. When tariffs rise, since the company in question is required to pay more to get their product into another country, it becomes more likely that the overall price of the product will also rise, creating a ripple effect of financial hardship that starts with the business and ends with the consumer. 

Currently, tariffs are working both ways between the U.S. and Canada. It’s becoming more expensive for Canadian businesses to import goods to the U.S. Similarly, American products imported into Canada may also experience price increases. That is, if you decide to keep purchasing American brands.

So, What do we do About the Tariffs?

As a retaliation against the U.S. implemented tariffs, Canadians everywhere are swapping their American products for Canadian alternatives, ultimately supporting domestic businesses amidst this economic shift and potentially saving themselves from future price gouging. 

Canadian Alternatives to U.S. Brands

Now that you have a better idea of what tariffs are and how you can avoid being affected by them, let’s break down some examples of Canadian brands you can support over popular U.S. products and retailers across multiple consumption categories.

Grocery Swaps

It's time to scour the grocery aisles with a little more insight into where your items are coming from.

Unfortunately, some of the most advertised and common brands are from the U.S. That said, you might be surprised just how many tasty products are Canadian.

Take a look for yourself:

Eatery and Coffee Shop Swaps

It's easy to think that grabbing a bite to eat or a cup of coffee in Canada means that you're supporting Canada's economy, but that's not always the case.

Since we've always been so closely intertwined with the United States, many of our restaurants, fast food favourites, and go-to-brews are actually U.S. owned.

Don't worry though, there are still plenty of Canadian cafes and eateries to support.

Check out some examples below:

Clothing Swaps

It's highly likely that the majority of the clothes in your closet aren't Canadian, and that's okay.

We're not here to tell you to do a complete wardrobe reset, but we will recommend that your future threads come from a Canadian clothing brand instead.

Not sure where to shop? We've featured some Canadian-owned attire inside the following table:

Skincare and Beauty Swaps

We're often so bombarded by U.S.-owned skincare and beauty brands that we might not even be aware of the Canadian alternatives at our fingertips.

Below, we've included plenty of cosmetic, skincare, and fragrance swaps for your daily routine:

Home Goods Swaps

With these upcoming brands, it's become easier than ever to curate Canadian furniture and decor for your home:

How to Know Which Brands are Canadian

Of course, there are literally tons of other Canadian alternatives beyond the ones we've mentioned in the above tables.

To take matters into your own hands and to decipher whether or not a brand is truly Canadian, follow these steps:

Learn to Read Labels

These days, when you're headed for a grocery run, you might want to bring along your reading glasses.

Why? Because you're about to actually contemplate what you buy before throwing it into your cart.

There are a couple of different Canadian labels to look out for, and they may mean slightly different things. Here are some examples:

• Product of Canada: meaning that most of the ingredients, processing, and labor of the product were found, implemented, and produced in Canada. In other words, the product must have undergone a substantial transformation or manufacturing process in Canada.
• Made in Canada: this means that the majority of the product's production occurred in Canada, including final assembly. Also, at least just over half of the manufacturing costs are required to be Canadian.
• Other qualifiers might include: Distilled in Canada, Refined in Canada, Packaged in Canada, or Processed in Canada, letting customers know that some ingredients may be from other countries.

To ensure that you're getting a completely authentic Canadian product, you'll want to keep an eye out for 100% claims that all ingredients, processing, and labour were sourced and completed in Canada. There's a strict criterion to earn this certification, so true 100% claims are harder to come by.

Turn to Helpful Sites

It's easy to tell you to do your research, but knowing where to source your information and the right places to start can be tricky.

Thankfully, there are a couple of websites that were built to help you uncover which brands are Canadian.

One of these sites is the Made In Canada Directory, a comprehensive catalogue of Canadian products organized by consumption category, product type, and province. You can also check the listings on Made In Canada Eh, a similar resource.

Other sites like Buy Beaver allow users to scan or search products to find out whether or not they are Canadian owned. They also provide visuals of popular Canadian products you'll be able to pull from the shelves.

Pay Attention to Where Your Retailers are Pulling Products From

In certain cases, there are retailers like Well.ca that source and sell a variety of products in categories like beauty, wellness, food, home goods and more. While Well.ca itself is a Canadian-owned company and many of their products are indeed Canadian, they also sell other international products, including some from the U.S.

If you plan on purchasing from a Canadian retailer like Well.ca, just make sure that the products you buy are also Canadian to stand in full solidarity with this movement.

When in Doubt, Look Local

Perhaps one of the best and easiest ways you can ensure you're buying Canadian is to purchase from local small businesses with homemade products.

Search community boards and Facebook groups for farmer's markets and mom and pop shops, or simply venture around until you stumble upon some artisans in your area.

These local retailers can provide you with everything from food like organic produce or raw honey to home goods like pottery or candles. Just be sure to double check that what your buying is indeed locally/domestically sourced!

Conclusion

With U.S.-inflicted tariffs on the rise, it's important now more than ever to have our country's back. So push back and support Canadian brands and small businesses, swapping all of your U.S. products for domestic alternatives.

With this guide as your starting point and with further research using websites like the Made In Canada Directory, Made In Canada Eh, and Buy Beaver, you can shop local for groceries, cosmetics, skincare, clothing, dining out, coffee, furniture and more.