Do you buy Made in Canada products or do you go where the lowest price is ?

20054 Views 40 Replies 24 Participants Last post by canadianbanks, Aug 27, 2009

canabiz

Discussion Starter · Apr 10, 2009

On some blogs and forums, i have seen people questioning why folks continue to patronize Wal-Mart, Zellers, Giant Tiger etc where majority of products are made in China/overseas and the quality/standard might be questionable.

Yes it would be nice if we can all buy Canadian-made products but it's a Catch-22, especially in these challenging economic times where the old adage *a dollar saved is a dollar earned* never rings any truer.

Should this be a time to lend more support to our economy and buy *Canadian* and do you strive to buy Canadian products when you can or do you simply go where the savings are ?

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mfd

· #2 · Apr 10, 2009

I find that if I have the option between two stores for the same product I'll choose the Canadian option.

Now I will always pay a premium for Canadian made items as long as the quality warrants that premium. I'm not going to hand over my hard earn income simply for a made in Canada label.

canabiz

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 10, 2009

mfd said:
I find that if I have the option between two stores for the same product I'll choose the Canadian option.

Now I will always pay a premium for Canadian made items as long as the quality warrants that premium. I'm not going to hand over my hard earn income simply for a made in Canada label.

mfd, do you have any problems with *ambiguous* labeling i.e. something along the line of *designed in Canada but assembled in Mexico*...do you still consider that a made-in-Canada product ?

On the other hand, would people have the same mentality over products made in Japan, U.S.A. or any other developed countries...just because they are not Canadian...even though the standards are supposedly higher than those made in China or India ?

Hazelnut

· #4 · Apr 10, 2009

I'll be brutally honest - I don't even check labels but I will investigate brand names online for major purchases to reassure myself about the quality. For me price is always a factor.

Financial Highway

· #5 · Apr 10, 2009

Hazelnut said:
I'll be brutally honest - I don't even check labels but I will investigate brand names online for major purchases to reassure myself about the quality. For me price is always a factor.

Pretty much samething, these days it's hare to find thing made in Canada or even things not made in china.

I look at:
1. Price
2. Quality

dnt mind a slight premium for better quality, if it is a long-term purchase.

UpNorth

· #6 · Apr 11, 2009

I would like to buy Canadian more than I actually do. One major purchase recently was my partner's engagement ring; I insisted on Canadian diamonds. A bit more pricey but it was worth to know I was making an ethical purchase. It was also probably the only time I'll buy diamonds in my life so I didn't mind paying a bit more.

maelstrom

· #7 · Apr 11, 2009

I try and buy local for groceries as much as possible.

Rickson9

· #8 · Apr 11, 2009

canabiz said:
On some blogs and forums, i have seen people questioning why folks continue to patronize Wal-Mart, Zellers, Giant Tiger etc where majority of products are made in China/overseas and the quality/standard might be questionable.

Yes it would be nice if we can all buy Canadian-made products but it's a Catch-22, especially in these challenging economic times where the old adage *a dollar saved is a dollar earned* never rings any truer.

Should this be a time to lend more support to our economy and buy *Canadian* and do you strive to buy Canadian products when you can or do you simply go where the savings are ?

It depends on what "made in Canada" means. I'm still unclear.

junkyardbottles

· #9 · Apr 17, 2009

maelstrom said:
I try and buy local for groceries as much as possible.

Same here. Prefer local groceries (fresh, frozen and canned). Everything else...not so much.

Sampson

· #10 · Apr 17, 2009

Do I buy "Made in Canada"?

Nope.
We don't manufacture much here, so its a bit of a null point for most items.

canabiz

Discussion Starter · #11 · Apr 17, 2009

Rickson9 said:
It depends on what "made in Canada" means. I'm still unclear.

Rickson, a very simple question: Would you buy a Canadian-made or Canadian-assembled BBQ for $799 when a BBQ with similar specs but is made in China can be had for $599 ?

Mockingbird

· #12 · May 1, 2009

I'm frugal. Always look for the best bang for my buck.

The only product I don't support is IF the company is known to use child labour.

I've never been a supporter of protectionism or anything close resembling one. Also due to that ambiguity in labeling, you never know if the products are indeed fully made/produced/manufactured in Canada. As far as I'm concerned, if the item is being sold by Canadian, then obviously he/she is somehow benefiting from that monetary transaction despite where it is truly made.

Rickson9

· #13 · May 1, 2009

canabiz said:
Rickson, a very simple question: Would you buy a Canadian-made or Canadian-assembled BBQ for $799 when a BBQ with similar specs but is made in China can be had for $599 ?

No.

Phalene

· #14 · May 6, 2009

It's not so much that I try to 'buy Canadian' as it is that I try to support my small local businesses. I find a lot of Walmart's business practises abhorrent, and personally would rather pay a few more dollars and support entrepeneurs in my own community. Of course, when you're paying more for items, you tend to buy less, which is also great for curbing consumerism.

yun

· #15 · May 6, 2009

Although I forget to notice often enough, I do regularly notice where things are produced.

As previously mentioned, Canada is not a tremendous producer of manufactured goods. Therefore, "buying Canadian" is often impossible.

However, this is a political decision where we vote with our dollars. We have a standard of living in Canada that comes, at least in part, from our regulations on labour and the environment. When we decide to buy products from businesses that manufacture in countries with labour and environmental standards that we wouldn't tolerate in our own country, we are being hypocrites.

So, I'm a hypocrite sometimes. Is it worse to be a hypocrite in ignorance or in full knowledge?

When possible, I try to buy goods produced in (ranked in order of most prefered):
1) Canada
2) United States
3) European Union countries

Unfortunately, I usually don't even get the chance to be a knowing hypocrite because my only options are from China and like countries.

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stardancer

· #16 · May 6, 2009

I look at price, depending on what the item is. For basics like shampoo etc, I go to the lowest priced store (currently Wal Mart). For furniture, appliances, I support the local businesses in my small town. I doubt if all their products are made in Canada, but at least it's a local small business. For winter coat/jackets and boots, I always buy Canadian no matter the price. At -30, quality outweighs price.

Spidey

· #17 · May 14, 2009

Its getting hard to find products that are made in Canada anymore. A case in point -- my youngest daughter and I love smoked oysters (the rest of the family wont touch them), but the only product I can find is from China. Given the type of creatures that oysters are and with all the pollution and quality control problems in China, I'm reluctant to buy them. We've got lots of oysters in Canada -- why don't we produce smoked oysters? I would willingly pay double for a Canadian product in this case.

canabiz

Discussion Starter · #18 · May 16, 2009

Spidey said:
Its getting hard to find products that are made in Canada anymore. A case in point -- my youngest daughter and I love smoked oysters (the rest of the family wont touch them), but the only product I can find is from China. Given the type of creatures that oysters are and with all the pollution and quality control problems in China, I'm reluctant to buy them. We've got lots of oysters in Canada -- why don't we produce smoked oysters? I would willingly pay double for a Canadian product in this case.

Spidey, you raised an interesting example. When you talk about smoked oysters, do you mean the ones you get in a can or are you talking about fresh oysters that you buy at the local produce depot and smoke them yourself with your own recipes ?

If it is the former and the can is labeled *Made in Canada*, who is to say the oysters do not come from China themselves but got put in a can in Canada and thus qualify for a *Made in Canada* label ?

If it is the latter and the oysters are supposedly *fresh*, how can you tell if the oysters come from our coast or from other more exotic locales i.e. Mexico ? Does that make a difference to you ?

There was an interesting article in the Toronto Star not too long ago where a lot of sushi restaurants passed off tilapia as the more expensive red snapper. I am not a sushi or marine expert and I certainly can't tell the difference but it is definitely a worrying trend, all in the name of the Benjamins, obviously.

http://www.thestar.com/living/article/631705

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Spidey

· #19 · May 17, 2009

That is another dilemma Canabiz -- Does made in Canada really mean that the products were produced in Canada? By the way, I was talking about the canned oysters. We like them on a cracker with a thin slice of cheese (Canadian cheddar).

mesaana14

· #20 · May 17, 2009

canabiz said:
If it is the former and the can is labeled *Made in Canada*, who is to say the oysters do not come from China themselves but got put in a can in Canada and thus qualify for a *Made in Canada* label ?
http://www.thestar.com/living/article/631705

Actually, under the new "Product of Canada" rules that came into effect on December 31st, that's not possible anymore. It's either "Product of Canada" which means the ingredients are actually from Canada (except for a very small percentage of additives) or it can be "Made in Canada" but it has to have a qualifier like "from foreign ingredients" or "from Canadian and foreign ingredients". Or the label could say "Smoked in Canada" for example. It's a bit more complicated, but it's more precise.

The info is on the CFIA website, if anyone is interested.
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/prodcan/prodcane.shtml

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