By Emily Stonehouse

If Donald Trump is involved in something, in any capacity, you can be sure that it is not remotely reasonable and will be completely convoluted; rife with grey areas and questions and completely devoid of logic.

Enter: tariffs.

I won’t get into the nitty-gritty details of these newly implemented taxes. You can do your own research; the internet is teeming with information about the impacts of this decision.

But I can get into what it means to buy Canadian. Within hours of the tariffs going official, LCBOs and retailers selling alcohol stripped their shelves of anything hailing from the United States.

And left them that way.

Many were wondering why the gaping holes were not quickly replenished with locally sourced spirits, and I think it’s quite simply to make a point.

When we cut ties with the United States; a decision that was not made lightly, after centuries of relative camaraderie and companionship, we were making a statement.

We can’t be bullied.

And the vacant spots that stared back at us from the shelves of retailers acted as a reminder for how intrinsically interwoven our two nations were.

That’s why it adds levels of complications when we are adamant about solely buying Canadian. Made in Canada? Produced in Canada? Staffed with Canadians? From Canadian soil? Using Canadian products?

What does “buy Canadian” entail?

With the exception of sap boiled and bubbled in your backyard, very few things are exclusively born and raised in Canada.

And that’s the nature of the world we live in now; an interconnected sense of globalization that has blurred the boundaries of countries, and had producers seeking the best bang for their buck. That’s how the world works.

I completely agree with buying local wherever we can, but the nuances of the movement are cracked too large to make the process smooth sailing. Our small businesses are particularly hard hit; dependent on purchasing from the most accessible source (which is of course sometimes not Canadian) but necessary for their own livelihoods. Local, homegrown, Canadian livelihoods.

If we boycott the businesses who perhaps cannot afford the price points of Canadian-made goods, are we still supporting Canadian businesses? Canadian farmers? Canadian producers?

It’s not just red and white. There’s a whole grey area of unanswered questions and ‘what if’ situations that no one truly has their heads wrapped around.

I can commend many for supporting the ‘buy Canadian’ cause. In a world that feels like we are merely balancing on wobbly rocks across a river, it’s important to hold on to things that feel stable. If this is something that feels like a difference, that feels important to you, then carry on.

But let us not forget the grey area that now flies alongside our red and white.

It’s not as clear-cut as it seems.