Thoughts on BC Politics and More

New federal polling from Pallas Data explores Canadians’ attitudes toward economic patriotism—their willingness to sacrifice prosperity or comfort in favour of national economic independence. This marks the first in a series of planned surveys on the topic by Pallas, and it comes at a timely moment, given the tense state of trade negotiations with the Trump administration. The results reveal generational, regional, and especially striking partisan divides. According to Pallas’ methodology, the Economic Patriotism Index (EPI) is based on four core questions ...  CLICK HERE for the full story

Canadians are ditching U.S. brands. And it’s working, at least for now ~~ Sylvain Charlebois While government action has its limits, Canadian consumers are taking matters into their own hands, one grocery trip at a time. Amid renewed trade tensions with the United States, including recent disputes over dairy, produce and packaged goods, there’s growing evidence that Canadians are deliberately favouring homegrown food products and steering clear of American brands. This isn’t just a passing trend—it’s turning into a grassroots boycott. Food boycotts are often unpredictable. Some fade quickly; others cause meaningful disruption. What’s unfolding now is rare: a swift, broad-based rejection of American food imports. Loblaw and Metro, two of Canada’s largest grocery chains, have both acknowledged the shift. In recent weeks, they’ve noted that Canadian-made products are outselling imports. Although hard data is limited, grocers are already reworking sourcing strategies, even in winter-de...

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our local businesses, and everything that flows from them -- jobs, tax base supporting public services, business supported community programs, and so on -- has brought into stark relief the critical importance of those business to our very way of life and the existence of our communities. It is a symbiotic relationship - in turn, those businesses cannot exist without the support of the local shoppers. Sadly, it has taken this crisis for many Canadians to recognize this fact -- that “ cross border shopping ” has been an issue for decades. He said that he loved Canada and that he never bought anything without checking the source label. If he had a choice, he would never buy anything unless the label said “Made in Canada”. I have a personal story on how a Canadian immigrant / refugee understood what far too many long time Canadians did not (or worse, just didn’t care). In 1992-93, I was Chair/President of the BC Chamber ...