With United States president Donald Trump continuing to threaten Canada with 25 per cent tariffs on everything our country exports south of the border, Canadians are apprehensive about what the future holds for our country. Tariffs in some form could be implemented as early as February 1, based on previous comments from Trump.
While provincial leaders and federal cabinet ministers hold meetings and make plans for either retaliatory tariffs or convincing American politicians and decision-makers at all levels how much tariffs will hurt citizens in each country, should we be waiting for the outcome or direction from above? How about taking action individually or as families?
We all have purchasing power, meaning it is up to us where we spend our hard-earned money. Inflation is a reality and as costs rise, looking for the best deal on groceries or any other product becomes necessary, and understandable.
The ability to put food on the table and take care of our families is the top priority. How can we do that and still support local businesses? Based on the recent rhetoric from Trump, local in some respects should extend beyond qathet Regional District's borders and into the rest of British Columbia, and the country for that matter.
People need to take care of their families; it’s priority number one. That’s why looking for the best deal sometimes takes them out of town or online. Changing that mindset in one fell swoop is not a reasonable action for everyone when putting food on the table, clothing children or managing bills that stretch finances, sometimes to the limit.
But not everyone is in that position. For those who are financially secure, all it requires is taking more time at the grocery store to look at where a product is made. Is that mustard made in Canada or the United States? Is the price difference negligible? Will it hurt your pocketbook to buy Canadian? Now is the time to show your patriotism, even if only you know you did so.
Mustard is a seemingly small example, but it’s just that, and there is a choice to be made on most store shelves with most products. With a population of more than 40 million, Canadians can collectively send a message by making decisions on what they buy and where it is from, without waiting for a federal or provincial government to take action.
Those dollars spent go beyond the grocery store. Keeping that money flowing in our city, regional district, province and country helps all Canadians. Isn’t that better than those funds going toward Jeff Bezos’ next flight to “space” because of orders/purchases made online through Amazon, or buying advertisements from Facebook to put more money into the pocket of its founder and Trump ally Mark Zuckerberg?
It may seem self-serving to mention the latter, but we do have a local weekly newspaper with loyal readers who can be reached via ads in the Peak, as well as a local monthly magazine and radio station which provide similar services. It is another example of ways to keep Canadian money in Canada.
Trump may have provided the impetus for all of us to look in the mirror and decide who and what we want to support. We should have been doing that anyway, but it’s not too late to start.
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