[Jesse]

I've been doing this too. Checking the label on things whenever possible is becoming a habit. I'll go out of my way to shop at Rona/Revy instead of Home Depot. Hmm, I actually thought Chapters/Indigo was an american company now, but it would appear it's still Canadian owned. <br> And a tangential web search brought up <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/default.asp?boutique=cdn_essentials&LinkCode=sn_canadian">this page</a> <br><br>

[Reverend Blair]

I'd say we should go one step further when possible. Buy Canadian, certainly, but buy locally too. I don't go to Rona, I go to a place called McDiarmid Lumber. I buy my photo stuff at a place called Don's. I tend to buy my political books at the head-shop instead of a book-store. I buy half a steer from a farmer who pays a local guy to butcher it every year.

The really cool thing is that I sat down and figured out how much more it cost me one day, local shops being so much more expensive and all. I forget what all I had on the list...everything from clothes to food to lumber... and the price difference was less than 3%.

I never figured out what I gained (money-wise) from shopping locally, but the benefits of supporting my own community are worth more than 3% of my spending as far as I'm concerned.

[Jesse]

[QUOTE BY= Reverend Blair] I'd say we should go one step further when possible. Buy Canadian, certainly, but buy locally too. [/QUOTE] I actually thought of making that point. It is definitely a much better idea to buy local, whenever possible.

[Kory Yamashita]

Reverend, that's a good point! Kinda depends where you live, though. I'm actually thinking of learning to hunt so I don't have to support the big-box grocery monopolies that exist in small town in order to eat meat. For anyone living in the city: vegetables are way cheaper at those little chinese vegetable stands than the major grocery stores. They also take longer to go bad and are of much higher quality.

[Dr Caleb]

[QUOTE BY= Kory Yamashita] I'm actually thinking of learning to hunt so I don't have to support the big-box grocery monopolies that exist in small town in order to eat meat. [/QUOTE] I do this every year. 1 Moose, 2 deer and as many grouse as I can. Plus, I go to a local lamb farmer, and a local beef and bison farmer. My local butcher shop will cut and package meat for about 1/2 the meat as payment. I used to do it myself, but I only have to feed me, so it's worth my time.<p> With Alberta Beef being stopped from crossing most borders, the farmers sell directly. At last weekends Sportsman show here in Edmonton, there were semi tractor rigs filled with Beef for about $3 a pound. Wrapped and already frozen. Good deals! I need a bigger freezer. <p> I still think people should have to kill their own dinner, at least once <p>

[Dr Caleb]

Has anyone else noticed that that really ugly Honda truck thingamajigie has "Official Vehicle of the Canadian Snowboarding Team" on it's advertising?<p> Shouldn't things funded (or underfunded in their case) by the Feds have to 'buy Canadian'??? Just a thought<p>

[Reverend Blair]

If they take longer to go bad and are of a higher quality, there is a good chance that they aren't genetically manipulated. Another advantage of buying locally.

We grow a lot of our own veggies and, if the Saskatoons ever grow up, some of our own fruit too. I learned about buying bulk meat from farmers as a kid...we just grew up with the reality of a steer in the deep-freeze every year. We had usually named it, actually.

You also learn some hard realities that way (besides eating things you've named, I mean). You start out eating the best cuts but as the freezer gets empty the cheaper cuts come out. If you buy at the store you can always get the choice cuts, but you never really learn how to cook.

You might want to reconsider that hunting thing though. When you add it all up...guns and bullets and transportation and butchering...it costs more than just buying meat. Just do what I do and beg for presents from your friends.

[Kory Yamashita]

Rev, I think the experience is worth it. I used to work on a commercial fishing boat and I've seen the difference between the food the small-operation gillnetters bring in and what the big Alaskan seiners bring in. The former yields one of the greatest and healthiest foods available; the latter is sometimes unfit for human consumption. Yet both are packed in "Product of Canada" labels (which is fair enough, since the Alaskans fish right on the international boundary and catch fish heading south). Anyways, I appreciate small-time operations for quality rather than mere price. Let the money serve me, not the other way around... right?

[Armageddon]

Hm, I do think I'll start trying this "Buy Canadian" idea, but what shall I do about McDonald's or A&W? Frankly, all of these foods that I love come from American established and owned companies. I could always go to a locally owned restaurant, but they can't beat the speediness of the fast-food industry. <br /> Also, are Zesty Cheese Doritos American? If they are, I don't think I could bare to depart with them. <br /> So many products are made by the Americans, what can we do when it comes to something Canada has not yet produced?

[KevinGagnon]

Its up to you really. But no one is saying you have to totally stop shopping American goods. I still shop American goods. I just try my best to shop Canadian when I can.<br /> <br /> For fast food you can go with Swiss Chalet, Harvey's and Montana's. Apparently all three are under the same umbrella.<br /> <br /> Kevin

[Marcarc]

Going vegetarian cuts out ALL of those meat problems. Zoglos is, I'm pretty sure, a british columbia company and I swear when it comes to cold cuts, cheese slices and breaded cutlets I can't tell the difference at all. They really can't duplicate a pork chop and hamburger though. <br /> There are plenty of nasty canadian companies though and I will buy from a socially progressive american company before I would from a rotten canadian company. Detroit city council came out with a very strong anti-war campaign, far more than many canadian municipalities which have local companies which sell weapons parts to the states. I think a good lesson mentioned here from out west is that if the guy (or girl) you are buying from didn't produce it, don't buy it. Obviously that only goes so far though.

[Kory Yamashita]

Well the idea of "buying canadian" has too important implications:<br /> <br /> 1. It benefits the consumer. "Buying Canadian" is a trend towards the localization of production. If you choose products that are produced in your own community, you can trust that the producer has met your government's wide array of standards - environmental, workers' safety and working conditions, paid taxes, etc. This means that the product you buy is as socially conscious as the government you elect. It also means that someone is accountable for the safety and health implications of the product.<br /> <br /> 2. It is a means of political expression. Since our world political environment is anarchical in nature, your democratic voice goes unheeded beyond your country's borders. However, the global economic environment follows the principles of supply-and-demand, which means that your choices affect the way products are produced. If you purchase a product that is made-in-Canada for a slightly elevated price, it increases demand and so supply will increase to meet that demand. Basically, if you purchase in a socially-conscious (or environmentally-conscious) manner, the system will adapt to produce more of its products in those same socially- (or environmentally-) conscious manner. <br /> <br /> Economics, in a sense, is a system of fluid (direct) democracy. However, most people don't realize that every time they approach a cashier's till to make a purchase, they are actually casting a vote at a polling station.

[Marcarc]

I'd have to disagree with the previous post, buying canadian is not 'buying local'. British Columbia is farther away from me than New York. If you actually do a search of government regulations you will find two things lacking-regulation and enforcement. There is a far different playing field for corporations than there is for smaller enterprises. Aspartame has been linked to all kinds of problems, but you never even hear of it. If you think that government actually has regulations that will 'protect' you or the environment then you really need to do some research because the opposite is true. If you want more details just ask because I could literally list pages and pages.<br /> <br /> Secondly, international commerce is far from anarchic, just because different countries have different regulations doesn't mean the system is close to anarchy, in fact far from it. The law of supply and demand doesn't operate when subsidies and rules of trade become wielded by corporations and industries, which they always do. Canada, the US, and Argentina are trying to 'force' Europe to buy genetically modified foods even though the european supply is sufficient. Supply and demand only exists when you have no variables, which is almost never the case. Look at technology, computer ownership has remained stable for most of the last five years, however, prices drop-not because demand increases, but because companies have lower operational costs (again,not because of demand but because labour is cheaper, materials are cheaper and the technology-much from universities which are subsidized-is more freely accessible).<br /> <br /> There are plenty of reasons to support local and even canadian shops, my point is that you should research every company you deal with, the internet makes it pretty easy.<br />

[Mr.Can-Euro]

I buy mostly Canadian aswell. Now and then, however, I'll buy American, British, Swedish, and French (France), Japanese and Italian products now and then because they offer something unique like a cultural products that I may find interesting. But mainly supporting Canadian is the way to go. I try to buy as little from China as possible not because I hate Chinese products but because they dominate the market. In short:<br /> 75% Canadian<br /> 25% Other Countries

[cmab]

Eat at Harvey's instead of Mcdonalds! <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/lol.gif' alt='Laughing Out Loud'> <br /> <br /> Seriously, the best thing to do its to support the local economy instad of helping american mutinational firms.