‘Put Manitoba pride first’

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This article was published 05/02/2025 (218 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The provincial government is urging consumers to close ranks around homegrown producers and has launched an advertising campaign to encourage Manitobans to buy local goods in the face of a potential trade war with the U.S.

The “Support Manitoba. Buy Local” campaign has been launched on digital platforms and will expand to billboards and radio ads over one month at a cost of $140,000, Premier Wab Kinew said at a news conference Wednesday.

“This is going to help amplify the message that we need to shop local,” Kinew said Wednesday, flanked by members of his cabinet who simultaneously unfurled Winnipeg-produced tote bags bearing the new advertising slogan.

“While we are going to continue to manage the relationship with the new administration in the U.S., one thing is for certain: buying local and supporting local business in Manitoba, it always makes sense.”

The campaign includes a website (manitoba.ca/buylocal) that links to made-in-Manitoba and made-in-Canada products and businesses.

The campaign is being instituted after a tumultuous weekend in which U.S. President Donald Trump appeared ready to implement 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian goods imported by the U.S. The move was paused for at least 30 days on Monday afternoon, amid negotiations between Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Kinew has joined other premiers to present a unified front by pledging to take retaliatory action should the tariffs be imposed.

On Sunday, the premier directed Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, a Crown corporation, to pull U.S.-made alcohol from Liquor Marts, as of Tuesday, and halt new orders. That moved was postponed after the tariffs were paused.

“Over the past week, it’s been maybe a bit of whiplash in terms of ‘Are we going? Are we not? What’s happening?’ But through it all, to see people come together to rally around the flag, to put Manitoba pride first and foremost has been very, very encouraging,” Kinew said.

He stressed it is important for the province to diversify its economy and find new trading partners. Consumer spending on products from Manitoba, or Canada, will help to develop businesses and jobs locally, he said.

Jesse Oberman, owner of Next Friend Cider, spoke to reporters during the campaign announcement. He said more customers have been asking questions about how and where his company’s goods are produced.

“I think it’s great,” he said.

Michael Mikulak, executive director of Food and Beverage Manitoba, said tariffs could be the death blow for many businesses in the food-service sector, which suffered during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

He endorsed the government’s plea to shop local.

“The food and beverage sector in Manitoba is massive. We are the largest manufacturing sector in the province and we export globally,” Mikulak said. “I think it’s time for Manitobans to really rally around those things that make life more special, make life more delicious.”

Mikulak suggested people should stock their fridges with Manitoba-made food products before the NFL Super Bowl set to take place Sunday between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

Recent data from the Retail Council of Canada suggests consumers had been searching for Canadian-made goods even before Trump was sworn in Jan. 20.

A national poll of 2,510 people, conducted during the holiday season, found 76 per cent of respondents preferred to buy from retailers based in Canada, while 72 per cent preferred Canadian goods.

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“The concept of buying local isn’t necessarily new,” said John Graham, the organization’s prairie director of government relations.

“A strong majority of Manitobans are interested in supporting local, but at the same time, we know affordability remains a significant concern for many and so local and Canadian products still have to compete on price and quality and other factors that remain important to consumers.”

Graham said the provincial government’s willingness to move quickly in reaction to the tariff threat is a good sign.

He stressed improving trade between the provinces and “Trump-proofing” the Manitoba economy should continue to be a priority.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.