😬 Buy Canada Policy Still Lacks Teeth
August 26, 2025
Buy Canada aims to tilt federal contracts toward Canadian businesses by tweaking procurement rules—from tightening trade exceptions to implementing a new reciprocal-only access policy for tenders. The Interim Reciprocal Procurement Policy, enacted this July, now blocks non-reciprocating foreign suppliers from federal bids. Yet critics argue that Canadian procurement frameworks remain unwieldy, vague, and ineffective without clear local-content definitions and robust monitoring mechanisms.
The current setup leans on broad notions like “social” or “green” procurement but still lacks teeth. It often fails to define what qualifies as a truly Canadian supplier—leaving loopholes for foreign firms to maintain token Canadian branches and bypass restrictions. Though provinces like Ontario and Manitoba are taking bolder steps—with outright U.S. bans and symbolic localization days—federal Buy Canada remains more vision than force.
Our Take: Buy Canada’s ambition is sound—but its execution isn’t. Without tighter origin definitions, transparency in subcontracting, and enforceable local-content rules, the policy risks being more aspirational than impactful. That said, Canadians are increasingly voting with their wallets for local—government just isn’t moving fast enough. When enough of us demand Canadian-made, political inertia breaks. That’s where lasting change begins.
Other stories from this week: