More than half of Canadians are now deliberately avoiding American products, a striking sign of how deeply the transatlantic trade dispute has poisoned consumer sentiment north of the border. According to fresh polling from Abacus Data, 51 per cent of Canadian shoppers now steer clear of US goods whenever they can, a sharp rise from the 38 per cent recorded in February 2025 when President Donald Trump first threatened tariffs.
The figures paint a picture of a nation that has had enough. A full 77 per cent of Canadians now say they intend to buy as few American products as possible, or avoid them altogether, a level of resistance that has held firm for 19 months. This is not a fleeting mood; it is a settled national habit.
How did we get here?
The roots of this consumer revolt lie in the escalating trade war between Washington and Ottawa. The United States recently imposed an import ban on roughly $1 billion worth of Canadian goods, including dairy, motorcycles and alcoholic beverages. That followed the 50 per cent tariffs Mr Trump slapped on Canadian exports earlier this summer, which prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to retaliate with matching counter-tariffs.
Mr Carney has been characteristically blunt about the stakes.
“There is now a price to be paid for access to the United States market,”he declared, setting out an ambitious target to double non-US commerce within a decade while courting deeper ties with the European Union, India and China.
What does this mean for American consumers?
The consequences are not confined to Canadian shopkeepers. An upcoming US Customs and Border Protection rule suspending the $800 duty-free de minimis exemption threatens to disrupt how an estimated 2.3 million Americans buy cheaper prescription drugs through Canadian pharmacies. Critics warn that added fees, bond requirements and existing tariffs will push the price of vital medication beyond reach for many.
For Susan Hooper, a 75-year-old Ohio resident who relies on imported Canadian prescriptions for asthma, the stakes could not be higher.
“The issue is a matter of life and death for me,”she said, noting that tariffs have already driven her monthly cost for one medication from $85 to $141.
What do Canadian shoppers want from their grocers?
Back home, the shift in sentiment is putting real pressure on retailers. Seven in ten Canadians want stores to strip American goods from their shelves entirely, while 89 per cent demand clear labelling on domestic products and 87 per cent want grocers to expand their range of Canadian and non-US alternatives.
Yet old habits die hard. According to Abacus Data, 61 per cent of Canadians still assume domestic alternatives cost more than their American equivalents, and fewer than half can reliably identify which brands on the shelf are actually Canadian-owned. There is work to be done, and the grocers know it.
Is this trend spreading beyond Canada?
Canada is not alone in turning away from Uncle Sam. A separate international study by Bloomberg and Morning Consult found that consumers across 13 European and Asian countries are spending less on US brands than they did five years ago. Malaysia leads the charge with 55 per cent of consumers cutting back, followed by France at 47 per cent, China at 46 per cent, South Korea at 43 per cent and Singapore at 42 per cent.
American fast food and coffee chains have taken the biggest hit. Sixty per cent of respondents in the UK, China and Indonesia said they had trimmed spending in those sectors, with Germany at 59 per cent and France at 57 per cent.
Interestingly, the Bloomberg and Morning Consult data suggests that a change in US political leadership would do most to reverse these habits in Germany, where 56 per cent of consumers said a political shift would tempt them back to American brands, followed by 47 per cent in the UK.
What happens next?
For Britain, there is a cautionary tale here. The Commonwealth and our historic ties with Canada run deep, and there will be many who watch with sympathy as our Canadian cousins assert their economic independence. But the wider lesson is starker: when a superpower wields its economic might carelessly, it risks losing something far more valuable than market share. It risks losing trust.
The Canadians, ever pragmatic, have simply decided that trust is no longer worth the price.
Frequently asked questions
Why are Canadians boycotting American goods?
Canadians are avoiding US products in response to ongoing trade disputes, including tariffs imposed by President Trump and an American import ban on Canadian goods. The polling shows 51 per cent of Canadians now deliberately avoid American products.
How much have Canadian shopping habits changed?
According to Abacus Data, the share of Canadians avoiding US goods has risen from 38 per cent in February 2025 to 51 per cent in September. A further 77 per cent say they intend to buy as few American products as possible.
Will the trade war affect American consumers?
Yes. A US rule suspending the $800 duty-free exemption could raise costs for an estimated 2.3 million Americans who buy prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies, with some already reporting significant price increases.