Instead of dealing with the boycott by meeting consumer demands for non-American products, grocery stores are trying to trick us into buying U.S. goods. And the sad news is, there is no national law forcing these stores to visibly advertise the origin of their products.
By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on August 24, 2026.
OTTAWA—Buy local: it used to be an environmental imperative. The closer a product is to market, the less carbon has been used to deliver it.
Not everyone bought into that argument. But buy local has now become a political imperative. With the ongoing bullying from the White House, Canadians are shopping with their eyes on America.
Grocery products made in the United States are remaining on the store shelves. It is easy enough to witness. When you pass through the fresh fruit and vegetable section, American-grown produce languishes and produce from Canada and other countries is selling.
So how are grocery chains accommodating this? They are not. Instead, some seem to be making it more difficult to determine the origin of produce.
At the Adonis store in Ottawa, a recent signage change in the produce section mixes origins. It reads that produce is from Canada and the United States, making it impossible for the consumer to determine which piece of lettuce is which. Adonis is owned by Metro. Another grocer giant, Loblaws, has gone so far as to remove origin signage from the shelves.
It’s explanation for doing so does not hold water. Customers are being told to read the fine print on apples to determine whether they are from Canada or the United States. Loblaws says the reason for the change is the changing nature of produce provenance, making local signage difficult.
Poppycock! The local signage has been fine for years, until Canadians decided to boycott American products, which has led American-grown fruits and vegetables to be left rotting on the shelves.
Instead of dealing with the boycott by meeting consumer demands for non-American products, grocery stores are trying to trick us into buying U.S. goods.
And the sad news is, there is no national law forcing these stores to visibly advertise the origin of their products. That should be on the governmental to-do list in the fall. The provenance of items in the grocery store should be easily identifiable to the customer.
Some grocery stores have made it their business to advertise local produce in very large letters as a customer magnet.
Just like Canadians have been voting with their feet and refusing to visit the United States, so consumer habits have been influenced by this incessant and ongoing trade war.
No one is winning. The president of the United States is deliberately using Canada as a whipping boy while remaining silent on some of our common enemies, like Russia.
Thus far, Prime Minister Mark Carney has escaped the wrath of Canadians because most understand that this trade uncertainty emanates from Washington, and even more specifically, from the White House.
But the country’s patience is growing thin. We are witnessing massive ministerial efforts deployed in Washington, but thus far, there have been no results.
While Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and chief negotiator Janice Charette are mum about the progress, policy makers in Ottawa should be working on ways to shore up Canada’s resolve and assist Canadians who want to do their part in support of our country.
Grocery signage may be a small item, but it is obviously affecting the bottom line of chains like Loblaws and Metro. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be working to fudge the identity of American-grown produce that is not selling well here at home.
Western Canada’s Save-On-Foods has gone in the other direction, offering signage that marks the prominence of local produce. Primary focus is on plentiful and tasty British Columbian fruits and vegetables.
With no national visible labelling law, it becomes more difficult for consumers to avoid spending on American-grown goods.
At least liquor is legislated. Even after booze returns to Canadian shelves, there will be millions who simply won’t buy it.
Carney is working hard to solve the trade disputes, but the rift in Canada-U.S. relations is not going away with a simple tariff signature.
The number of Canadians who are petitioning Parliament to toss the American ambassador out of the country because of his seditious comments continues to grow. At last count, it had exceeded 238,909.
And even if bourbon is back on Canadian shelves, many simply will refuse to buy it, as a personal protest of the ignominious treatment this country has received from Donald Trump.
The on-again-off-again trade threats are only one part of Canadians’ disgust with the behaviour of the American president. The fact that Trump still garners so much electoral MAGA support simply reinforces our desire to boycott America.
Canadians will not be buying anything American any time soon.
Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.