Buy and sell Canadian? Some Calgary small business owners say that’s easier said than done
Buy Canadian — that’s the message being pushed across the country. But on the other end of the movement, some small business owners in Calgary who feel the pressure to pivot to Canadian products say that isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Nestled in the heart of Marda Loop, Michèle Bowland runs Little Bow Fibre Company, a small yarn shop.
She’s been thinking long and hard about the movement making waves across the country — even asking customers for feedback when they come in to shop — but she worries about whether her business would survive such a drastic change.
“I am a proud Canadian. I want to stand up for my country. But in the same sense, I don’t want to bury my business in trying to do everything I can where maybe that might not be the right choice,” said Bowland.
Bowland said Canada’s wool industry is so small, it isn’t feasible to sell only Canadian-produced yarn. She was once turned down by a couple of Canadian companies she tried to source products because it was already facing too much demand, she said.
“It’s definitely expensive. And if there’s only a handful of companies, well, I don’t want to carry what my neighbouring yarn store has.”
Bowland isn’t alone. While some businesses are prioritizing Canadian products on their shelves in response to the potential trade war between Canada and the U.S., it isn’t as simple for some industries whose options are limited in what they can source from inside the country.
It’s a system that was deliberately designed due to free trade agreements, according to one economist, who’s encouraging people to shop Canadian only where it makes sense.
‘Let’s just all be kind’
Down the street in Marda Loop, Crabapple Clothing Company owner Whitney Titheridge has been facing similar difficulties as Bowland.
She purchases the store’s inventory six to 10 months in advance, and she said she doesn’t have the flexibility to pivot at the last minute in reaction to the larger dialogue. Plus, clothing produced in Canada is harder to find and is often more expensive.
“We carry a lot of Canadian brands. Many of them just aren’t produced in Canada either. So that is just the way that it works,” said Titheridge.
Along with Bowland, Titheridge said she’d like to see more grace from Calgarians as small businesses like hers navigate the rocky climate.
“I think we just really need to be careful of judging people and businesses for making decisions that are in their best interest… Let’s just all be kind to one another.”
Free trade
The Bank of Montreal’s chief economist Doug Porter said this is the reality of manufacturing in Canada.
He said the point of free trade was to move away from each country producing everything, and instead specializing in areas they produce best.
“It’s unquestionable that there are many products that would be almost impossible to find in Canada right now [that are] made in Canada. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done eventually, but we can’t just flick a light switch and start to produce things that haven’t been produced here for 10 or 20 years,” said Porter.
Over time, he said Canada might start to gravitate toward emerging markets to source our goods.
In the meantime, when it comes to the “buy Canadian” movement, “we shouldn’t be dogmatic about it. We should do it where it’s reasonable and where it makes sense. And I think it should really just be more of a mindset rather than, ‘We have to do this minute.'”
While it’s been a rocky time for some businesses in Calgary, one store owner in Kensington sees it as an opportunity.
Launched during the pandemic to give artists a place to sell their work, The Hidden Gem is home to the art of more than 90 local vendors.
“A lot of people are seeking out local [products], which is a great thing. We’ve always been pushing that and rooting for that. Now, they sort of have something to fight for… So we’re seeing more activity, for sure,” said owner Victor Tripper.
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