Made in Canada!

[stonefish]

I went to pick up a Stanfields wool shirt the other day down at Marks Work Warehouse (just ‘Marks’ now I guess) and they didn’t have any. They did have their made in China house brand for $90. A quick check of the Stanfields website shows their shirts sell for… $90.

A couple clicks on the phone and one of the real deal Stanfields shirts was on the way. It feels good to buy things made in Canada.

[thumper]

I didn't know we still made anything in Canada. Any successful company that produces 'things' is just run out of town (country) by over zealous greenies or communist politicians. Good on you for tracking down an old Canadian company that still makes something of value!

[Howard Hutchinson]

Good for you Stonefish. I do my best to buy Canadian and at the very least, NOT made in china.

[dth_]

I've noticed a lot of the big chain stores slowly shuffling out quality names for their own made in china house brand.

[Iron Brew]

Canadian Tire purchased Marks, and they seem to be shuffling out some of the better quality stuff. I'm unimpressed with the removal of Stanfields, the real west coast tuxedo. I went looking for a buddy and they were gone.

Did you buy directly from Stanfields?

[RandyBoBandy]

Originally Posted by Iron Brew

Canadian Tire purchased Marks, and they seem to be shuffling out some of the better quality stuff. I'm unimpressed with the removal of Stanfields, the real west coast tuxedo. I went looking for a buddy and they were gone.

Did you buy directly from Stanfields?

https://stanfields.com/
OP said he bought the product online

[alacringa]

Originally Posted by thumper

I didn't know we still made anything in Canada. Any successful company that produces 'things' is just run out of town (country) by over zealous greenies or communist politicians. Good on you for tracking down an old Canadian company that still makes something of value!

Most companies that shift to making their products in China (or Bangladesh, or Indonesia, etc.) do so for the love of the almighty dollar. Nothing to do with greenies or communists. If they can pay some poor worker $2.50/day to make a product there, rather than paying a Canadian worker $20/hour, they're going to take advantage of that. All about greed.

Canadian-made products (like Stanfield's underwear or Grohmann knives) do produce great quality products, though.

[The Cook]

I found this site last year.

https://www.madeincanadadirectory.ca

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by alacringa

Most companies that shift to making their products in China (or Bangladesh, or Indonesia, etc.) do so for the love of the almighty dollar. Nothing to do with greenies or communists. If they can pay some poor worker $2.50/day to make a product there, rather than paying a Canadian worker $20/hour, they're going to take advantage of that. All about greed.

Canadian-made products (like Stanfield's underwear or Grohmann knives) do produce great quality products, though.

Greed? Or survival? If all the competition is paying $2.50 a day while you pay $20hr then you are either a boutique manufacturer or out of business.

I like the Idea of Stanfields but when I see $100 for a pair of sweats or $30 for a t shirt $25 for a pair of ginch.

[Phil McCracken]

https://stanfields.com/collections/mens-onesies

Even the onesies are expensive...

[urban rednek]

Stanfields makes excellent product in their Truro, NS manufacturing facility. Definitely the equal of, if not better quality, than many similar/higher cost big name brands.
However, they also manufacture some of their products in Cambodia. I was not happy when I read the fine print on my last purchase.

[sns2]

Globalization as a process is complete. Made in Canada is a thing of the past. We have to do what we do well, whatever that is, and focus our efforts on that. Finding Canadian consumer goods, at a realistic price is a hard go. My salary, like many of yours has not seen an increase in 9 years. Figure out how much prices have gone up in that time. As a result, I am forced to buy based on price, and I don’t apologize for that. I’m guessing I’m not the only one.

However, what I will do, is buy off a Canadian owned small business whenever possible, as opposed to a multinational. Thus, businesses like Prophet River, Canadian Gundog Supply, and The Fishin Hole get every spare dollar I have that go toward my hobbies. Not Cabela’s. Buying from Canadian owned small business is about as close as you can get to Made in Canada.

[Drewski Canuck]

Made in Canada is a tough one. You see many Canadian companies that manufacture have learned that you can set up offshore, send unfinished product to the Offshore Company to "finish" the product, then sell the product back to Canada.

Perfect example is Quebec Maple Syrup. It goes as sap to the Bahamas for a very low value. The Sap is cooked down to syrup in the Bahamas at the Bahamas Registered Corporation and bottled and labelled.

Then it is sold back to Canada for a huge profit - declared in the BAHAMAS, not Canada.

That is how you avoid Canadian Taxes if you are a successful manufacturer of a raw Canadian product.

Now you were asking why there are so few Canadian made goods, right?

Drewski

[CaberTosser]

I've become a real label hawk, I'll avoid made-in-China if it means going without until I can find a product thats from a decent country (sadly my remaining tie is to my Milwaukee cordless tools, a difficult transition when you are loaded for bear on the batteries and other tools).

Of course Made in Canada is # 1, I love selling two brands of Canadian-made boilers. At work its hard to avoid steel threaded fittings from China though, tee's, 90's & couplings, etc. When I find ones that aren't, that's where I buy from because those simply aren't products I can do without when I have customers to serve. Made in Taiwan is great, as they're the tip of the spear against China's aggression & we want to support our allies, I note that lots of socket & wrench type tools are made in Taiwan, I just read packaging on a set of GearWrench tools the other day that were from there.

Heck, I found plastic inventory storage tubs at a reasonable price at Princess Auto that were made in Canada! I bought more. Israel makes some good plastics too, you'll note a lot of the wheeled tool carrier cases (Ridgid) and parts suitcases (Stanley) are made in Israel.

[bsmitty27]

Good on you my stanfields are going strong after 15 years, by big bill wool is hoing strong, my grohman knife is always with me. American made redwing and Danner boots, support local businesses whenever possible.
Im cheap as they come, and i learned at a young age that buying Chinese will cost muchmore in the long run.

[EZM]

The global supply chain (globalization) is a fact of life now. Domestic manufacturers can't compete on price and most consumers refuse to pay a higher price ......

It's self perpetuating.

One solution in my mind is to allow consumers to buy domestically made products at a discount (taxes and subsidies for these products) to protect our domestic suppliers so they can survive and compete.

There are mechanisms like countervailing duties and tariffs (for overseas supply which hurts domestic manufacturing) but they simply don't go far enough.

It's a shame that we are seeing less and less products that are made here and support jobs here.

[Bushrat]

It's a sad state of affairs that Canada has darn near put all its eggs in the global basket. When the global thing fails, Canada will too. We need to become more self sufficient just for that reason. We as a nation should be able to feed and cloth ourselves and be able to self sustain ourselves and our economy from within, yet our gov't refuses to buy our own oil in the eastern half of the country and we can't even provide our own vaccines. We have become totally dependent on outside economic influence and global dictates. That's about as close as one can get to treason.

We should be the richest nation on the planet, the fewest people sitting on the biggest pile of resources, yet all we do is mismanage then invite foreign entities to take over to rape and pillage us. The global market we are stuck in now is the new colonialism, pretty soon we will know just how the natives felt when we came along. We are pretty much at the point of no return when it comes to forfeiting control of our nation to predatory globalists and picking up speed.

[EZM]

Originally Posted by Bushrat

It's a sad state of affairs that Canada has darn near put all its eggs in the global basket. When the global thing fails, Canada will too. We need to become more self sufficient just for that reason. We as a nation should be able to feed and cloth ourselves and be able to self sustain ourselves and our economy from within, yet our gov't refuses to buy our own oil in the eastern half of the country and we can't even provide our own vaccines. We have become totally dependent on outside economic influence and global dictates. That's about as close as one can get to treason.

We should be the richest nation on the planet, the fewest people sitting on the biggest pile of resources, yet all we do is mismanage then invite foreign entities to take over to rape and pillage us. The global market we are stuck in now is the new colonialism, pretty soon we will know just how the natives felt when we came along. We are pretty much at the point of no return when it comes to forfeiting control of our nation to predatory globalists and picking up speed.

Agree with what you are saying for the most part - but with one caveat ... it's our own fault and it's out of necessity for survival.

The companies operating here decide where their supply chain sources from - it's is not the government. The government can only exercise countervailing duties to try and help domestic business but the last nail in the coffin so to speak is the decision of the company.

I have been in Supply Chain and Operations positions (mostly at the executive level of big companies) for the last 25 years and I can't recall one time where buying local was an option where the shareholders would approve if that cost them return on their investment. Not once.

I have also been in hearings with the Trade Tribunal for exclusions to support Canadian manufacturing companies where we needed the lower cost raw materials (and the tariff exclusion) to survive another day.

This is where the Canadian manufacturer is reliant on imported raw materials so they can make finished goods (so caught in the middle of protectionism mechanisms versus hardships due to duties on their raw materials).

The issue is complex and difficult to navigate.

It's self perpetuating and tariffs and tax abatements only go so far - at some point we need to look at other alternatives so we can survive tomorrow.

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by alacringa

Most companies that shift to making their products in China (or Bangladesh, or Indonesia, etc.) do so for the love of the almighty dollar. Nothing to do with greenies or communists. If they can pay some poor worker $2.50/day to make a product there, rather than paying a Canadian worker $20/hour, they're going to take advantage of that. All about greed.

While I agree that a lot of greed is involved, it is not all about the company greed. Unfortunately we have created a society of consumers that demand the cheapest price no matter the cost to their own societies, and most people will not pay more for a similar item made locally because it invariably ends up costing more money exactly because local talent works for $20/hr and the overseas people $2.50 a day, and those companies just can't compete.

We are a nation of people who want to make the most possible for our own time worked, yet we want to pay the least possible for the goods we use.

I will say that it is one thing this whole covid and shipping fiasco we are experiencing now driving up the cost of goods is it is bringing the gap between foreign goods and local goods a little closer together. I hope people start realizing that the only people they are harming with the "cheapest at all costs" mentality is their own communities.

[sns2]

I should point out that the best underwear I've ever purchased are black Stanfields at Costco. Reasonably priced and you never see any stripes either.

Sent from my SM-A705W using Tapatalk

[RandyBoBandy]

Originally Posted by tirebob

While I agree that a lot of greed is involved, it is not all about the company greed. Unfortunately we have created a society of consumers that demand the cheapest price no matter the cost to their own societies, and most people will not pay more for a similar item made locally because it invariably ends up costing more money exactly because local talent works for $20/hr and the overseas people $2.50 a day, and those companies just can't compete.

We are a nation of people who want to make the most possible for our own time worked, yet we want to pay the least possible for the goods we use.

I will say that it is one thing this whole covid and shipping fiasco we are experiencing now driving up the cost of goods is it is bringing the gap between foreign goods and local goods a little closer together. I hope people start realizing that the only people they are harming with the "cheapest at all costs" mentality is their own communities.

The entire post is GOLD Bolded part just falls on North Americans.

[The Cook]

Originally Posted by sns2

I should point out that the best underwear I've ever purchased are black Stanfields at Costco. Reasonably priced and you never see any stripes either.

Sent from my SM-A705W using Tapatalk

If there is no stripes how do you know which is front or back? Asking for a friend.

[urban rednek]

Originally Posted by sns2

I should point out that the best underwear I've ever purchased are black Stanfields at Costco. Reasonably priced and you never see any stripes either.

Sent from my SM-A705W using Tapatalk

Psst, now made in Vietnam. (not in Cambodia as incorrectly stated in my previous post)

[Phil McCracken]

There is an old saying...you get what you pay for...

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by sns2

Globalization as a process is complete. Made in Canada is a thing of the past. We have to do what we do well, whatever that is, and focus our efforts on that. Finding Canadian consumer goods, at a realistic price is a hard go. My salary, like many of yours has not seen an increase in 9 years. Figure out how much prices have gone up in that time. As a result, I am forced to buy based on price, and I don’t apologize for that. I’m guessing I’m not the only one.

However, what I will do, is buy off a Canadian owned small business whenever possible, as opposed to a multinational. Thus, businesses like Prophet River, Canadian Gundog Supply, and The Fishin Hole get every spare dollar I have that go toward my hobbies. Not Cabela’s. Buying from Canadian owned small business is about as close as you can get to Made in Canada.

I'd say we are pretty lucky as hunters when it comes to non-china options actually. I'm just happy to buy anything North American made nowadays, if it's Canadian great, but US is fine by me. I bought a new hunting pack this year, and as luck would have it the big 3 are made in the US. Get what you pay for. Bought a new bino harness this year. Made in Arizona, and as far as I'm concerned it's head and shoulders amazing over the products made overseas. Finest optics aren't made in china (but not made in the US either).
Best boots...not Chinese junk. Firearms....not Asian.
Clothing is a bit tougher, but a couple options anyways.
Like I said, we have it good with the options in the hunting biz

[58thecat]

Price, quality and customer service all tie into my formula

[walker1]

i just bought winter tires for my f350. Choices used to be slim when I bought Hankkok ipke for my 2012. I ended up finding the proper lad range in a LF Blizzack which I used to run on my 150 and wives Honda. Sidewall says made in Canada ...... a nice surprise. Bob may chime in on this

[teledogs]

I enjoy seeing a Made in Canada label on my Big Bill wool clothing or on my Grohman knives. I appreciate getting hand made local gloves from Coy Coyote. There is a lot of quality stuff Made in Canada if you look.

[Penner]

Originally Posted by walker1

i just bought winter tires for my f350. Choices used to be slim when I bought Hankkok ipke for my 2012. I ended up finding the proper lad range in a LF Blizzack which I used to run on my 150 and wives Honda. Sidewall says made in Canada ...... a nice surprise. Bob may chime in on this

Think you are correct I believe Blizzaks are primarily made out in Nova Scotia.

[Bigwoodsman]

Originally Posted by alacringa

Most companies that shift to making their products in China (or Bangladesh, or Indonesia, etc.) do so for the love of the almighty dollar. Nothing to do with greenies or communists. If they can pay some poor worker $2.50/day to make a product there, rather than paying a Canadian worker $20/hour, they're going to take advantage of that. All about greed.

Canadian-made products (like Stanfield's underwear or Grohmann knives) do produce great quality products, though.

Once transportation rates jump ten fold, off shore producing might not be so viable.

BW