Maple-Washing

      Buy Canadian - It's Not So Easy
   The term "maple-washing" appeared in a headline and it is our subject for today. It was new to me. Apparently "it has been coined in popular discourse to describe the lengths that retailers and producers have gone to make their products appear as Canadian as possible."  
   Misleading marketing is not new, but the surge in food patriotism is and that has led to some questionable labelling indicating that a product is "Canadian". To reduce the angst among those who are agitated about all of this, I will reproduce the relevant paragraph from the maple-washing article, which says the rules relating to food are clear about what constitutes "Canadian." I hope they are clear to you, but I remain confused. For example, although coffee is not grown in Canada, I know there are some Canadian coffee companies, as defined by the rules listed below, but I don't think it would be correct to say that Tim Hortons is a Canadian company.

 "According to the Food and Drugs Act, all food labels must be truthful and not misleading or likely to create a false impression. The rules are clear. 
  "Product of Canada" requires that at least 98 per cent of the ingredients and processing be Canadian. "Made in Canada" means the last substantial transformation took place here, and "Prepared in Canada" refers to food that was processed, packaged or handled domestically, regardless of where the ingredients originated." "Retailers Must Guard Against Maple-Washing," Sylvain Charlebois, London Free Press, July 29, 2025.

   To demonstrate the complexity of all of this, here is a bit from the Consumers Council of Canada, which also supplied me with the definition of maple-washing as quoted above.

   "In one typical social media feed, Canadians can see promotion that Cadbury’s Creme Eggs and Mini Eggs are “proudly made for Canada, in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients”, Breyer’s ice cream is “made in Canada with high quality ingredients and Canadian dairy”. Black Diamond cheese will also promote its Canadian origins and production, and sometimes cheekily notes it is made with 0% American cheese.
   Some consumers will appreciate this presentation and favour those products. 
   Of course, Cadbury is a British company, owned by Mondelez international. Breyers has a production facility in Simcoe, Ontario, but it’s owned by Unilever. Black Diamond has origins and production in Belleville, Ontario, but is owned by Lactalis Canada which is part of the Lactalis Group, headquartered in France."

  I suppose that the subject of whether your grocery item is "Canadian" is moot if you purchased it at either Walmart or Costco. 

Buy Ontarian

  Once again, my post is more confusing than it should have been. So, I will conclude by suggesting that you only buy things made in Ontario and supply the source where you can shop: Ontario Made: Great Things are Made Right Here.  You will even find a Canadian coffee company - Club Coffee Craft Roasters, in Etobicoke. 

Post Script:
   The recent concern about buying Canadian is largely a result of the numerous tariffs which have been levied, unlevied and which are about to be levied again. Ontario began the "Support Ontario" program back when the pandemic was the issue that made people think about reshoring and producing things locally. 
See, for example: "Labatt Promotes Ontario Made Label," Jennifer Bieman, LFP, Oct. 30, 2020:
  "Labatt Breweries of Canada signed on to a provincewide push to promote Ontario businesses forging ahead in the pandemic-battered economy. Ninety-six brands, including London-made Bud Light, Budweiser and Labatt Blue, will display an Ontario Made designation, a marketing initiative to promote local products....The province threw its support behind the program in early July, contributing $500,000. The campaign comes after many Ontario businesses retooled during the first wave of the pandemic to manufacture in-demand products, including masks and other personal protective equipment. Premier Doug Ford announced a second phase of the program Thursday, a consumer directory of participating manufacturers at Supportontariomade.ca."

Bonus Links:
  Send your kid to a Canadian Maple League University.
  Travel Locally- Grassroutes.    

   Whether a non-food item is "Canadian" can be complex as well, and that is why we have law firms. And when such firms are involved, suits follow. Take the case of a company named Moose Knuckles, which surely appears to be Canadian, even if their product was not.
   "In recent years, there has only been one enforcement action brought by the Bureau regarding a “Made in Canada” claim. In 2016, the Bureau filed an application with the Competition Tribunal (Tribunal) alleging that Moose Knuckles had marketed their winter parkas as “Made in Canada,” when they were actually imported from Asia in nearly finished form, only to be finalized with zippers, snaps, fur trims and labels in Canada. Moose Knuckles settled the action by, among other things, agreeing to donate C$750,000 over five years to charity and to clarify that some of its parkas are made with Canadian and imported components."
From: "Maple-Washing: Regulatory and Civil Liability Risks of Calling a Product Canadian," By Laura Weinrib, Jonathan Bitran, Simon Seida, Emily Hazlett and Joshua Hutchinson, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, March 13, 2025.

   It is also noted in the article above that "maple-washing" is sometimes called, "maple glazing".
   For another bonus, search for the meaning of "moose knuckles".  

WOE CANADA

   

In my last post I indicated that I had learned (again) that the city in which I reside is not deemed to be a particularly desirable place in which to live. Whenever I am outside of the country and am asked where I am from, I don't generally characterize London in such a negative way. I suppose I do typically locate it for the questioner by saying, "Halfway Between Toronto & Detroit." You can buy the T-shirt pictured at Museum London. 
   Nor am I negative about the country in which this London is located. I admit to even being unapologetically nationalistic and to saying that "Canada is a great country in which to live." Apparently I should now add to that sentence this disclaimer, "but a lot of Canadians don't agree."
   Perhaps it was because I live in a city that is regarded as not particularly "livable" that I noticed that many now regard Canada as an increasingly undesirable place in which to be. That sentiment is expressed in the headline atop a poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute. Here it is:
"From 'eh' to 'meh'? Pride and Attachment to Country in Canada Endure Significant Declines."
The percentage of people saying they are "very proud" to be Canadian has dropped. "Pride" is now displayed far more often in flags not related to a country. Here are the graphic details.

It is not reassuring that slightly more people are "attached to Canada but only as long as it provides a good standard of living."
  I noted in my last post that high ratings and rankings attract more attention than negative ones and if there was a poll indicating Canada rated high up there in the "World Happiness Report," you would have read about it (Finland is usually at the top.) As far as I can tell, the reaction to the Reid poll about how Canadians feel about Canada is muted. 

  I did find one attempt to answer a question related to the poll results -- "What is driving this change in mood, this massive drop in patriotism?"  Unfortunately the question was asked and answered in a publication you probably don't read (you may look at it for the 'girls', which I see are still being displayed.) It would be good to see such questions and answers in the publications you do read. There are far fewer outlets produced by the mainstream or institutional media and increasingly, it seems to me, 'countervailing' ( to use a word used often by Galbraith) views and opinions are relegated to fringe magazines or newspapers or blogs such as this one. 
   Although the author of the article places the blame at the very top, which is debatable, the points made are worth considering. The article:

"Trudeau Trash Talks Canada and National Pride Falls Quickly," Brian Lilley, Toronto Sun, Dec.13, 2024. "Who would feel pride in a systemically racist country committing genocide with no core identity? All ways Trudeau has described Canada....."
Of course fewer Canadians say they are “very proud” to be Canadian. Who wants to boast about being part of a genocidal state built on colonialism, discrimination and systemic racism with no core identity."

E pluribus unum -- not in Canada. 

Woe Canada?
   The title I used seemed familiar and I see that I have already used it in the bottom of another post of mine you will not have read. Here it is and it has some relevance. We will probably see it more often. 

WOE CANADA - Factlet (12)
   Given the focus on Identity and Indigeneity this statistic made me wonder if there will be a Canadian identity in the future, or several thousand solitudes not just two.
"There are more than 630 First Nation communities in Canada, which represent more than 50 Nations and 50 Indigenous languages."

Source: The Angus Reid Poll