B.C. business owner voices concern over boycott of American goods

Buying Canadian is a top priority for many consumers, but boycotting American companies can actually hurt Canadians.

While B.C. shoppers are embracing the ‘buy Canadian’ campaign, one business owner says it could have unintended consequences.

“It becomes a really complicated thing for a lot of consumers,” said Gerald Miller, owner of four La-Z-Boy franchises in the Lower Mainland. “By choosing to stay away from American products, you actually might be hurting your neighbours.”

Miller emphasized that La-Z-Boy Vancouver is fully independent, locally owned and follows Canadian rules and regulations.

Miller says his franchises employ dozens of workers and despite the American La-Z-Boy name, some of his store’s products come from overseas and even Canada. He hopes shoppers do their research before boycotting all American brands.

“We have, like I say, 75 employees here that depend on us to make their mortgage payments, to buy their groceries, to pay their bills,” said Miller. “Anything that affects that concerns us.”

According to Statistics Canada’s latest data, more than 1.4 million Canadians work for U.S.-based firms.

“They are our largest employers in the manufacturing industry within our sector,” said Michael Grayden, CEO of Food Health Products of Canada. “And if they’re not here, those jobs disappear.”

One UBC professor who specializes in international trade believes any boycott of American goods will likely be short-lived.

“The tariffs haven’t gone into effect. Are we still outraged at Trump? I’m not sure,” said James Brander, professor emeritus at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. “I think it’s very unlikely any boycott or attempted boycott will last long.”

With tariff talks cooling for now, Miller hopes his business and employees can avoid getting caught in the crossfire of a potential trade war.

“I’m hoping that we can get past this and that we get back to a situation where we don’t have to think about tariffs”

In the meantime, Miller says he’s focusing on bringing in more non-American product as a way to pivot to meet changing consumer demands.