City Notebook: Don’t just buy Canadian, build Canadian

By Collin Gallant on February 8, 2025.

So this column’s prediction last week that U.S. trade tariffs may or may not be in place after a deadline last weekend may or may not have turned out to be true.

But it’s certainly lit a fire under Canada’s collective feet to start hashing out strategies to strengthen the domestic economy, or at the very least, insulate it from threats.

U.S. President Donald Trump will likely threaten tariffs any time there’s a fly in his soup from now on, so what to do? What to do?

For many that’s to buy Canadian, but the same thing that makes Trump mad – the thoroughly integrated nature of import/export production lines – makes it difficult to discern what’s made in which country.

Cars is one example, but there are many products in which the country of origin is murky in whole or in part.

Reducing interprovincial trade barriers is often a go-to talking point among economic commentators and freer-trade minded conservatives who now have to pivot as most of their righter-wing colleagues tilt toward protectionism.

But it’s hard to find examples beyond trucking regulations, professional accreditation and alcohol purchasing – all controlled by provinces that are generally unwilling to give up any jurisdiction.

I can’t see anyone in Alberta or Saskatchewan agreeing to federal-controlled power grids, though there’s a push for new west-east pipelines – Canada produces 5.7 million barrels per day and uses 3.8 million barrels (including imports of U.S. oil and gas in Eastern Canada).

As a country we’ve always produced more than we use of almost everything, and relied heavily on primary industry.

Busting down trade barriers at provincial boundaries won’t result in Alberta buying more Saskatchewan wheat or B.C. timber when we’ve got plenty of our own.

How to buy Canadian might not be the whole question, but rather how to build Canadian.

Speaking of suds

A Monday morning press release from major industry association Beer Canada suggests Canadians can be confident they are buying local when they crack open a Budweiser, Busch, Coors, Miller, Michelob, Pabst, Old Milwaukee and a bunch of seltzery things. American brands all.

It says 88 per cent of the beer that’s drank (drunken?) in Canada is produced in Canada, but a suspiciously similar amount is brewed by American companies.

So, grab a Blue, Canadian, OV, Kokanee instead?

They’re also brewed by Molson-Coors (based in Colorado) or AB-InBev (the AB stands for Anheuser-Busch, and it bought up Labatt’s 30 years ago).

Catching up

Former Medicine Hat News reporter Amanda Stephenson now has a new job covering Western Canada for global business media giant Reuters – and none-too-soon considering what’s new these days in global business.

Unfortunately, it likely marks the end of an era of her name appearing in the News. We were happy to pick up her copy on a regular basis when she most recently worked for The Canadian Press in Calgary.

A look ahead

The city, Redcliff and Cypress County will hold a joint public hearing on proposed changes to a Tri-area inter-municipal development plan on Wednesday night at the Medicine Hat College theatre.

Next Friday is Valentine’s Day (hint, hint), and the opening of the winter session of the Alberta legislature (and a new budget) is set for Feb. 25.

100 years ago

America publishing houses petitioned their government over a proposed embargo by Canadian pulp and paper producers, the News reported in February 1925.

Another report noted bidding in a $35-million bond issue as government-owned Canadian National Railway had been won by an American syndicate over the Bank of Canada due to better rates.

In Moscow, Leon Trotsky was removed as minister of war in the Soviet government – leading the headline to observe he had “lost everything but his head.”

A new “million dollar” beat factory would be built in Raymond by the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, with plans for two more should the endeavour prove a success.

New legislation governing autos should ban “glare” style headlights, impose a gasoline tax to fund road construction and lay stiffer penalties for drunk driving, a News editorial stated, in support of the positions of the Calgary Automobile Club.

Locally, Hatters Hector Lang and Byron Bellamy were named members of the Canadian Athletic Union board.

Collin Gallant covers city politics and a variety of topics for the News. Reach him at 403-528-5664 or via email at cgallant@medicinehatnews.com