Tariffs Hit Canada: What Canadian Brands Should Be Thinking About

Elbows up — but make it strategic. Phil and Kenny break down what the latest US tariff escalation actually means for Canadian food, beverage, and CPG brands.

This one's raw and unscripted. The guys air out the frustration, then get clinical: how founders should be stress-testing their US ambitions, why "buy Canadian" is more than a slogan right now, and how to hunt for opportunity instead of just moaning about the mess.

They dig into the case for looking beyond the border — Mexico, Europe, Asia, and the I-5 corridor as its own set of regional markets — and why parking your US plan doesn't mean blowing it up. Plus a rundown of the food & beverage associations and buy-local programs across BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada that brands can tap for peanuts.

If you're a Canadian brand, tell the world you're Canadian — people are asking, and not just here at home.

In this episode:

• Why the guys are angry — and why they're choosing to move past it
• "Buy Canadian" when you can, and being real about when you can't
• Rethinking the US: sizing, packaging, COGS, and market viability
• Looking past the border — Mexico, Europe, Asia, and regional plays
• The provincial food & bev associations and buy-local programs worth joining

This Commerce Life is Canada's longest-running commerce podcast, hosted by Phil Chang and Kenny Vannucci.