Buying Canadian? There’s a Website For That.

This month, with Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs looming and Canadian consumers on edge about a potential economic disaster, Prime Minister Trudeau offered some advice: whether you’re buying bourbon, produce or plane tickets, “choose Canada.” Patriotic shopping guides sprang up seemingly overnight, urging consumers to avoid American-owned brands in favour of buying local. 

Dylan Lobo, a 22-year-old digital media consultant in Toronto, quickly found himself (and his part-time hobby) swept up into a national movement. Since 2022, Lobo has run Made in CA, an online directory of hundreds of Canadian companies selling products made north of the border. In more precedented times, the site attracted a loyal but modest audience of about 10,000 monthly visitors; after Trump’s inauguration in January, however, traffic exceeded 200,000 hits in less than three weeks. 

This week, Trump teased additional tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, further stoking fears of financial fallout and job losses across the country. We called Lobo on the day of the announcement—and two weeks before the all-goods tariffs possibly kick in—to discuss how Made in CA is helping Canadians fight back with their wallets.

What prompted the creation of Made in CA back in 2018?

This is going to feel like déjà vu: it was launched after Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel during his first presidency. The website’s original founder was Tyler Campbell, a teenager from Uxbridge, Ontario. He felt it was unfair for a trusted ally to target its close trading partner and wanted to make it easier to support local businesses. With his dad’s help, he built a directory that listed Canadian brands, where their products were made and whether they were Canadian-owned or just manufactured locally. It became a resource for people who wanted to understand where their dollars were going. 

How did you end up getting involved?

I’ve always believed in buying Canadian; my parents instilled that in me during our countless trips to farmers’ markets around the GTA during my childhood. It was inspiring to meet those farmers—community members who were passionate about their produce, rather than faceless corporations seeking to maximize profits above all else. So when I heard about Made in CA back in 2018, I immediately loved the idea. I was a regular user of the site for years and made an effort to buy local as much as possible, whether for larger purchases, like my barbecue grill, or smaller ones, like toothpaste. 

By 2022, Tyler was busy with his university classes so I reached out and offered to run things—and eventually acquired the site for a small sum. I wasn’t trying to make money, though; I have a full-time consulting job. My goal was just to continue what Tyler started.

Are Made in CA’s listings crowdsourced, or do you curate them yourself?

The site is mostly community-driven, with users submitting information on Canadian businesses they’ve discovered. Before Trump’s latest tariff threats, I’d get three to five submissions a day, and I’d spend a couple of hours a week vetting them. The challenge with crowdsourcing is that 80 to 90 per cent of submissions need a fact-check before I can post them. Some users confuse where they bought a product with where it was made. A lot of people are unclear on what truly qualifies as “Canadian.”

While we’re on the subject, the site distinguishes between “made in Canada” and “product of Canada.” What’s the difference?

The terms sound interchangeable, but they’re not. Product of Canada is the gold standard. It means that 98 per cent of an item’s total production costs—including raw materials and labour—are Canadian, with up to only two per cent coming from imported materials. Think of a jar of honey: if it’s harvested and processed in Canada with minor imported flavour enhancers, it qualifies.

Made in Canada, on the other hand, has a lower threshold: at least 51 per cent of production costs must be Canadian. A frozen pizza, for example, would qualify if it’s assembled and processed in Canada, even if key ingredients like cheese or olives are imported.

How closely are Made in CA’s traffic spikes linked to Trump’s activities?

The spikes are directly tied to his speeches. Every time he mentions Canada or threatens new tariffs, our traffic soars. One day, the server crashed. Many Canadians are seeking out reliable sources to find out what they can buy locally. Some even want to help me: I used to get a handful of daily user submissions. I’m now getting upwards of 500 a day.

Made in CA launched during the 2018 trade feud. Now, in 2025, we’re embroiled in another one. What’s new this time?

Things are much more extreme now. In 2018, the tariffs only targeted aluminum and steel. This time, it’s everything, which feels like an attack on our country as a whole. For many Canadians, this is about more than tariffs; it’s about protecting our independence. I’ve received dozens of angry emails about Trump, specifically. Some are filled with insults, while others offer more constructive criticism of his shortsighted policies. I don’t mind being a sounding board; it’s clear people need space to vent. Many Americans don’t support these tariffs either. People from all across the U.S. have emailed to say they love Canadian businesses. It’s not like all Americans are against us. This is one man’s decision—backed by a small minority—forcing his entire country to go along with it. 

What’s surprised you most about the attention Made in CA has received?

It’s amazing how the site has resonated with such a broad audience. Hundreds of people have reached out to pitch in—even volunteers in their 90s. Someone from Iceland suggested I expand the site to help Europeans find Canadian products. The “Buy Canadian” movement has grown far beyond my site. Communities on Facebook and Reddit are exploding as people look for ways to spread the word.

You recently decided to add a grocery guide to the site—it’s already been read 200,000 times. Why did you decide to create it?

I noticed that a lot of Made in CA’s users were struggling to figure out which grocery brands were truly Canadian-made, especially for everyday essentials like food, toiletries and cleaning products. There’s no universal “Canadian-made” labelling system in grocery stores, and checking every label can easily add 15 minutes to a grocery trip. I spent dozens of hours compiling a list of roughly 200 Canadian brands. It’s all in one 24-page Google doc, which people can easily print and take shopping. A lot of users said, “I don’t want to give my money to a foreign-owned company, even if it manufactures here.” So I split the guide into two sections, with Canadian-owned and Canadian-made brands at the top and foreign-owned brands that manufacture in Canada at the bottom. 

How are you juggling all of this, given your full-time job?

I work from home, which gives me some flexibility, but I’ve been getting five hours of sleep most nights. I’m answering emails until 3 a.m. and spending at least eight hours a day going through submissions after work. Right now, I’m averaging about 40 new business listings each day. 

Do you think this trade war will have a lasting impact on Canadians’ shopping habits? 

Yes, I think it will. It’s made Canadians realize the risk of relying too heavily on a single trading partner. Having a strong manufacturing base at home is essential to avoid becoming economically vulnerable. For long-term change to happen, it will take more than consumer effort. There needs to be real financial commitment from the government. Simply telling people to “buy Canadian” while on the campaign trail every couple of years isn’t enough—especially when it’s still so difficult to find Canadian-made products in stores. Building that infrastructure will take time, but it’s crucial for our resilience. This tariff fight has definitely shocked the country, but it’s also cut through political divides and motivated Canadians to work together in ways we haven’t seen in a long time. It’s turned into a unifying moment.

Do you have any expansion plans for Made in CA—to capitalize on the moment? 

I’m working with a developer on a site redesign to make it easier to search for products. I also just launched a weekly newsletter that promotes small Canadian businesses and provides explanations of topics like understanding product labels. It has about 1,000 subscribers so far. Clearly, a lot of people want to keep the Canadian-made movement going. I’m happy to help for as long as I can.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.