“We have to fight for one another”: One woman’s week of buying Canadian

Ever since Donald Trump launched his tariff war on Canadian products and threatened to make our country the 51st state, a Buy Canadian movement had surged north of the border, with fed-up patriots refusing to buy American goods. Writer, filmmaker and digital technician Set Shuter, 35, had been interested in buying local for some time, but the trade war added fuel to her fire. So we challenged her to track all the Canadian products she bought over the course of one week. Highlights include supporting Toronto-based Indigenous beauty brand Cheekbone Beauty, indulging in a night out at Island Oysters on Bloor and taking a Beck taxi for the first time in years. Here’s how she swapped out her Yankee Doodle staples for Canuck equivalents.

Regular Expenses

Streaming: $18.99 a month for Netflix, $10.99 for Paramount Plus, $12.99 for Disney Plus, $5.99 for Shudder Canada, $9.99 for Crave. “I usually stream content through Netflix, Paramount Plus, Disney Plus or Crave. I’m obsessed with horror films, so I also have Shudder, which features some of the world’s best scary movies. With the exception of Crave, which is owned by Bell, each of these is American-owned.”

The switch: $0 for CBC Gem, $9.99 for Crave, $5.99 for Shudder Canada. “I cancelled them all, with the exception of Crave, since it’s Canadian, and Shudder Canada. I received an email from one of the American streamers after cancelling, asking if I wanted to come back. I was like, Nope. Shudder Canada is American-owned, but it features a lot of indie Canadian horror movies, many of which were made by my friends, so I couldn’t do it. While I used to dream of having one of my own features on Shudder, now I’ll aim to have one showcased on CBC Gem or Crave.”

Ride-sharing and takeout: $125 to $150 a week when Shuter is working, $50 to $75 otherwise. “I used to order Ubers without a second thought, and I’d get takeout from Uber Eats, especially when working long hours on set.”

The switch: $18 for a six-kilometre Beck taxi ride, $40 for takeout pizza (or $50 for delivery). “I downloaded all my Uber data in case I needed it in the future and then deleted my account, including Uber Eats. I’m going to try to take other modes of transportation and cook meals at home instead of ordering takeout. I took a Beck taxi from the Three Speed on Bloor to my home in the Kingsway the other night and discovered they have an app. It did, however, cost about 20 per cent more than a normal Uber ride. If a pizza parlour will deliver locally, I’ll try that. If not, I’ll drive there myself.”

Gas: “I used to fill up my Mitsubishi wherever was cheapest and most convenient. It isn’t an American car, but that wasn’t deliberate.”

The switch: “Since the trade war started, I’ve made an effort to fill up at Pioneer or Petro-Canada, which I was surprised to learn is still Canadian-owned. Prices are comparable, and I’m lucky there’s one close to home.”

Savings: $63.97

Related: “We cancelled our $15,000 Disney World trip over Trump”

Wellness

Mascara: $8.99. “I normally buy cheaper brands like Cover Girl. Now, if I want to be ‘easy, breezy, beautiful,’ I’ll have to buy Canadian.”

The switch: $38.42. “I was excited to learn about Cheekbone Beauty, which is Indigenous-owned and made in Toronto. I ordered their mascara through Well.ca, so I didn’t have to shop at Sephora, which is French-owned. (While I love supporting our allies, I prefer to go Canadian.) Well.ca has free shipping for orders over $30, and my mascara arrived in three days. But the product itself was four times the cost—I’d need a mascara budget if I were to wear it five times per week. Since I only wear makeup on special occasions, it felt worth it.”

Moisturizer and cleanser: $18.99 for moisturizer, $21.99 for cleanser. “I have sensitive skin and usually use CeraVe moisture and cleanser. As much as I appreciate fellow Canadian Michael Cera being in their ads, they are a subsidiary of L’Oréal, which is French-owned. Once again, I tried going Canadian.”

The switch: $21.99 for moisturizer, $20.99 for cleanser. “Through Well.ca, I ordered a moisturizer and cleanser by all-Canadian, all-natural beauty brand Green Beaver. I purchased this along with the mascara, so shipping was free.”

Floss: $4.78. “Normally I buy Oral B since it’s readily available.”

The switch: $7.90. “Again, I opted for Green Beaver, purchased through Well.ca. This was a lot more expensive, but it’s also made without plastics. I come from a household that normally uses football-field-length strands of floss, so I’m going to have to be careful.”

Lip balm: Two for $8.49. “I love my Burt’s Bees lip balm in the winter. I wear every tube right down. I actually thought they were Canadian before I started doing my research, but no, they’re headquartered in North Carolina. That was disappointing.”

The switch: Two for $8.99. “At first, I tried switching to Nova Scotia Fisherman. They’re an East Coast brand, and their lip balm has sea kelp in it, which I love—my future dreams include farming the stuff. I went to Healthy Planet, which is encouraging customers to shop Canadian, to buy some, but they were sold out. Instead, I ordered this lip balm made by Green Beaver, which works well.”

Extra cost: $35.05

Related: How Trump’s whopping 25 per cent tariffs would hit Canadians’ wallets

Clothing

Pants: $150 for HH Work Wear Women’s Luna Construction Work Pants. “I usually buy Levi’s or pants by HH Workwear from Mark’s Work Warehouse. HH was recently sold from Canadian Tire to an American company, and besides, I wanted the challenge of finding pants that were Canadian-made.”

The switch: $64.99 for Adult Wide Leg Pants from Modrobes. “These filled me with 1990s nostalgia. Back then, I had a psychedelic pair that were orange, red and white and reminded me of lava lamps. Modrobes no longer carries those, so I bought a plain black pair instead. They’ll be more appropriate to wear on set anyways.”

Savings: $85.01

Groceries

“During the Loblaws boycott in May of 2024, I switched over to buying most of my groceries at Farm Boy, which is owned by Canadian chain Sobeys. The prices are good, but now I’m aiming to buy only products from them that are made in Canada. I also shop at the Cheese Boutique, which is near me, and Healthy Planet on College.”

Kombucha: $4.50. “I used to love GT’s Synergy Trilogy Kombucha, but it’s made in California and the company owns 40 per cent of the American kombucha market.”

The switch: $3.85 each or $11.95 for four. “Half of my family is from the East Coast, and I’m proud of my Nova Scotia roots, so I was happy to switch over to Halifax-made Cove Kombucha. It’s actually a bit cheaper. It’s tasty, contains probiotics and has very little sugar.”

Ginger ale: Two for $1.49 “I was really disappointed to learn that Canada Dry is no longer Canadian. The lies!"

The switch: $2.50 for Cove and $4 for Solly’s. “I found replacements in Cove’s ginger ale and Solly’s, which is a Henderson brand and therefore local to Toronto. I bought these both at the Cheese Boutique, which is in the Kingsway and is family-owned.”

Carrots: $3.99 a bag. “I normally don’t check where my carrots are from, but I often buy bunches from the USA by default.”

The switch: $3.99 a bag. “I found carrots that were Canadian for the same price, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were just as good.”

Strawberries: $3.99. “American strawberries are definitely cheaper, especially in the winter.”

The switch: $6.99. “To my surprise, I found Canadian greenhouse-grown strawberries, but they were way more expensive. It was worth it, though. They were tasty, and I didn’t have to give the Americans my strawberry money. But I definitely couldn’t do it every week.”

Broccoli: $2.99 a pound. “I’d been hearing about US products being boycotted by other shoppers, so it made me happy to see a shelf of US broccoli untouched.”

The switch: $2.99 a bunch. “I bought Mexican-grown broccoli instead—there was no Canadian option—and was thrilled to see the shelf nearly empty. I’m going to be frying up that broccoli with butter and garlic or some nice Mexican avocado oil. I’m happy to support countries like Mexico that are in this with us, and I do love a good avocado.”

Coffee: $11.99 a bag. “I used to buy Starbucks beans for home brewing. On set, it’s what everyone drinks. Camera departments run on Starbs.’"

The switch: $12.99 a bag. “I bought a bag of Kicking Horse beans since they’re a Canadian roaster. I love that cafés are now offering Canadianos instead of Americanos. If I want to change the culture on set, however, I’ll have to bring a coffee maker of my own—otherwise, everyone will keep ordering Starbucks.”

Almond milk: $3.49. “This is a staple of my household that I can’t do without. I like Almond Breeze because a lot of other brands change the taste of my coffee. But, alas, it’s American.”

The switch: $3.29. “I switched to Silk almond milk, but it’s a little sweet for my liking. I was disappointed when I got home to discover it’s still an American company. But this product is made in Canada by Canadians, which is still pretty good.”

Extra cost: $8.16

Related: A Canada–US historian on Donald Trump’s 51st-state threats

Splurges

Work cart: $6,427.66. “As a digital technician on film sets, I have a cart that holds everything I need to process film footage as it comes in. The cart holds a massive computer, hard drives and monitors. The whole thing is on wheels, so I can move it around, and it acts as my station that I sit or stand at when I’m working 12-plus-hour days. I have rheumatoid arthritis, which gives me pain in my hands, so I needed something light and easy to pack up without using tools. I was going to buy a lightweight collapsible cart from Innovative, an American company.”

The switch: $4,000 to $5,000. “I cancelled my order as soon as the tariffs were announced. I was disappointed, because I like Innovative’s products and I’d been ready to spend a massive chunk of change. Instead, I asked a local film technician if he would build one for me. We’ll try our best to find parts made here with Canadian steel, but it might be tricky, especially for elements like the wheels, which are typically made in China or the United States.”

Books: $102.30. “I normally shop through Amazon for books if I can’t find them in local bookstores. Like anyone, I love to have things delivered while I just sit around.”

The switch: $102.30, plus $6.70 for a round trip on the TTC. “This week, I decided to spend the extra TTC fare to buy some books by Canadian authors from Queen Books and Book City instead. I picked up Lost and Found in Lunenburg by Jane Doucet, How to Share an Egg by Bonny Reichert, the collection Bad Artist: Creating in a Productivity-Obsessed World (which is a shameless plug, since I have an essay in it), and Death by a Thousand Cuts by Shashi Bhat. The prices were all the same as Amazon’s.”

Cheese: $65. “The Cheese Boutique is in my neighbourhood. I don’t normally think about where my cheese comes from, only that it’s delicious.”

The switch: $65. “I spent the same amount of money on all-Canadian cheeses this past week. The brands I chose were a cheddar from PEI by Cows, a muenster from Manitoba by Bothwell and a paneer by Tutto Gourmet Foods in Brampton.”

Dining out: $0. “I used to splurge on nights out more often, but it’s been hard with the downturn in my industry brought on by Covid and the strikes. Some savings have been eaten into.”

The switch: $151.42 for dinner and drinks for three at Island Oysters; $18 each for a show at the Comedy Bar. “I wanted to end this week with a bang. I love seafood, so my friends and I had dinner at Island Oysters. Its staff have been working hard to feature an almost entirely Canadian menu. Founder Jason Kun is very passionate about his PEI roots—his parents run a Chinese restaurant in Charlottetown—so we started things off by ordering 12 PEI Malpeques oysters on the half shell at the happy hour price, followed by a dish featuring scallops from the Bay of Fundy, another featuring crispy roasted potatoes and Nova Scotia salmon from Cape D’or, and a smoked BC tuna dip served with crostini and crudités. We washed it all down with tasty Canadian beer from Burdock Brewery. After that, we walked to a Laugh Sabbath show at Comedy Bar to take in some Canadian comedy. I made sure to wear my Cheekbone Beauty mascara and pro-Canada pin for the occasion.”

Savings: $1,269.54

The Verdict

“It was a really uplifting experience. Everywhere I went, from grocery stores to bars to convenience stores, people were into the idea of buying Canadian, and many were doing the same. I’m even more committed to it now than when I started. It was easy to make changes at the grocery store and with beauty products, but clothing was definitely more challenging—I’m wondering what I’ll do when it comes time to buy shoes. But I want to stay the course. We have to pull together as a country and fight for one another. It’s fair for people to feel like one change is just a drop in the bucket, but together many drops make an ocean.”

Total savings: $1,375.31