Canadians are amping up the 'Buy Local' crusade 

Of course, Donald Trump's tariffs and 51st-state gasbagging had gotten Canadians' backs up.

At first we were flabbergasted and then we got angry and then we took action.

Enter the 'Buy Canadian' and 'Buy Local' movements, a patriotic offensive to support local, shun USA and bolster our own.

Lightspeed Commerce, the Montreal-based retail and restaurant point of sale and payment platform, wanted to somehow measure the 'Buy Canadian' commitment.

After all, Lightspeed knows when local shops and restaurants thrive, so do the communities around them.

So, Lightspeed surveyed Canadians earlier this month and this is what it found out:

- The 'Buy Canadian' push is gaining major momentum.

91% are prioritizing buying Canadian products and 71% are even willing to pay a little more to buy Canadian rather than American.

- 73% are outright boycotting major US retailers.

Remember Feb. 28's 'Boycott Day' -- the grassroots attack in which Canadians were asked not to shop -- in store or online -- at American retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Best Buy, McDonalds, Staples, Gap and Toys R Us?

Well, for a whack of Canadians, 'Boycott Day' is everyday now.

Canadians have lots of choice for shopping at home-grown retailers, from the small and independent businesses that are in every town and city across the country to big retailers like Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, Sport Chek, Shoppers Drug Mart, Dollarama and all the grocer stores under the umbrellas of Pattison (Save-On, Urban Fare, Nesters and Buy-Low), Loblaw (Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Valu-mart and Your Independent Grocer) and Sobey's (Safeway, FreshCo, Thrifty, IGA and Foodland).

- Even if US tariffs are lifted, 74% of Canadians say they'd keep supporting Canadian products and stores.

Lightspeed said this shows that this shift in consumer behaviour is more than just a temporary response to the trade war.

- What exactly does 'Buy Canadian' mean?

For 72% of respondents it means only purchasing goods made in Canada from local retailers.

Retailers, especially grocery stores, are helping people identify and buy Canadian products by putting little Canadian and maple leaf flags and signs on shelves and displays.

- 43% are open to buying Canadian-made goods from giant American retailers like Amazon. (But, definitely not those 51st state baseball caps, toques, t-shirts, flags and stickers that mock Canada that are for sale on Amazon).

- 29% are concerned about 'Canadian-washing' -- where companies mislabel products to look more Canadian than they are.

- Lightspeed sees the whole 'Buy Canadian' campaign quickly evolving from a reactive measure to tariffs and 51st state rhetoric into a more strategic, long-term philosophy and mentality to supporting local businesses and all things Canadiana.

- NowMedia Group also did a story this week spotlighting how Lakeview Market in Kelowna has festooned the store with Canadian flags to help shoppers identify and buy Canadian products.

See that story here: https://www.kelownanow.com/watercooler/news/news/Kelowna/VIDEO_Local_grocer_helping_locals_buy_Canadian/