Search numbers show Atlantic Canadians have gotten more interested in buying Canadian

Gwyneth Egan · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 4:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Shoppers successful Atlantic Canada are showing an accrued involvement successful buying Canadian, according to their Google searches.  

Google inclination information is 1 mode of tracking however the bargain Canadian question is affecting user behaviour. 

"It's a beauteous important measurement due to the fact that what that's saying to america is that consumers are funny and they're educating themselves," said Melise Panetta, lecturer of selling astatine Wilfrid Laurier University successful Waterloo, Ont.

The question to bargain Canadian goods has gained traction crossed the country, but it's particularly pronounced successful the Atlantic region, she said. 

"I'm genuinely not amazed to spot Atlantic Canada starring the battalion a small spot arsenic it relates to engagement successful home and section sourcing," Panetta said. 

"[Maritimers] are fantabulous astatine demonstrating assemblage solidarity and section concern enactment erstwhile they consciousness threatened arsenic it relates to their section economy," she said, adding that assemblage has ever been a focal constituent successful Atlantic Canada. 

While the Google trend data indicates that much radical are funny successful buying Canadian, Panetta said determination are immoderate barriers to turning the inclination into a habit. 

For 1 thing, Canadian products thin to outgo more, Panetta said. 

That means that radical mightiness beryllium capable to bargain Canadian successful the abbreviated term, but successful the mean to agelong term, it could go much difficult, she said.  

There's besides a deficiency of knowing astir what it means to bargain Canadian, Panetta said, citing disorder astir the quality betwixt a 'Made successful Canada' statement versus a 'Product of Canada' item. 

But saying determination has been a batch of accelerated question on improving Canadians' understanding, Panetta said she expects to spot the confusion reduce substantially implicit the adjacent months. 

Why it matters 

For Frédéric Gionet, determination is simply a batch to worth successful Atlantic Canada — from the prime of products and businesses to enactment ethic and lifestyle. 

"We don't person a batch of producers astir here, but those we bash have, we person to support," said Gionet, the manager of legislative affairs for the Atlantic portion with the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses. 

He said buying Canadian — and much specifically, buying section — has large advantages. 

Gionet said astir 66 cents of each dollar spent astatine a section store volition beryllium staying successful the section economy, "versus 11 cents if you bargain astatine section stores oregon 9 cents of each dollar if you bargain online."

He excessively said he's not amazed that Atlantic Canadians are starring the mode successful their enactment for section industries and products. 

"I deliberation Atlantic Canadians are immoderate of the astir patriotic citizens of the country. We're the archetypal ones to rise the flag, and we're rather arrogant of it."