For context, I’m going to need to buy cereal at some point (even though I prefer oats), but this applies to anything, really.
So many of these “buy Canadian” websites will list companies like Post and Kellogg’s, because they have manufacturing here.
But there are also Canadian-owned companies. Some “have manufacturing in Canada or the US”, and there’s no guarantee that the ingredients used are even from Canada.
So… when there are no Canadian companies who make products in Canada, which alternative gives the most impact (i.e. keeps more money within Canada)?
Is it better to buy products that are made in Canada, even if the company is American owned.
Or should priority be on Canadian companies, regardless of where products are made?*
*I’m totally fine supporting products made outside of the country, if I have to. But American made is at the bottom of my list.
For my wife and I, I could likely make our own mix of muesli cereal from Canadian and NotAmerican ingredients. But our grandkids are used to regular cereal brands, so we need to accommodate.
What have you guys been doing?
But that’s the dilemma. Which one benefits Canadians the most?
Canadian company, but products are made in the States.
American company, but products are made in Canada.
Both are employing people on both sides of the border, but which keeps the most money within Canada?
Obviously, not having Americans involved in either is better, but these two problems come up very frequently, and until other alternatives exist, I’d like to know which is the lesser of the two evils.
Products made in Canada would likely keep more money in Canada.
Corporate profits are usually a relatively small percentage of costs. If most of those costs are in Canada (capital for the factory, wages for labour and presumably somewhat more likely to involve Canadian goods) then yeah, operated in Canada should return more here.
I’d also use the Buy Beaver to check, someone may have done the homework and figured out the source for the manufacturing/ingredients.