Finance worker Michael Atkinson is a fan of electric cars, but lately he found himself embarrassed to drive his Tesla Model 3 around Vancouver.

Dismayed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his association with U.S. President Donald Trump, Atkinson now drives an electric Volkswagen ID.4 after returning his Tesla to the dealership with two months left on the lease.

The final straw was TrumpB次元官网网址檚 planned tariffs on Canadian products, which struck Atkinson as a B次元官网网址渉orrible economic idea.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 gonna hurt Americans, itB次元官网网址檚 certainly going to hurt Canadians and he is using it as essentially blackmail to try to make us consider being a 51st state,B次元官网网址� said Atkinson about the threatened tariffs.

He was speaking just before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump said on Monday that the tariffs were on hold for a month.

Atkinson, who works for a credit union, is part of a wave of Canadians turning their backs on an array of American products, big and small, to express displeasure at politics and policies south of the border B次元官网网址� most notably TrumpB次元官网网址檚 tariff plan.

Andrea Mitchell said outside a supermarket in downtown Vancouver that she B次元官网网址渄id pretty goodB次元官网网址� by purchasing mushrooms grown in Canada.

B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 important to show sovereignty and that we stick together. I think itB次元官网网址檚 an opportunity for us to think about our country and the value of our future,B次元官网网址� said Mitchell, adding that Canadians are B次元官网网址渞eally patriotic people.B次元官网网址�

Mitchell said the news coming out of the U.S. made her feel that Americans donB次元官网网址檛 realize B次元官网网址渉ow valuable we are as an ally,B次元官网网址� pointing out that Canada had recently sent water bombers and firefighters to California to help battle devastating wildfires.

B次元官网网址淭hese threats of taking over our country and imposing tariffs that are absolutely ridiculous B次元官网网址� I think itB次元官网网址檚 absolutely irresponsible what theyB次元官网网址檙e doing, and theyB次元官网网址檙e blaming it on fentanyl crossing the border, which doesnB次元官网网址檛 make any sense,B次元官网网址� said Mitchell, speaking before news of the tariff delay.

Fellow Vancouver shopper Rick Piccolo, also speaking before the tariff delay announcement, said he had a new habit of carefully reading product labels to make sure they were not made in the U.S.

B次元官网网址淭rump is an idiot,B次元官网网址� said Piccolo, B次元官网网址淗e is like a builder who has only one tool. If youB次元官网网址檝e got a nail, he has got a hammer. YouB次元官网网址檝e got a piece of wood that needs cutting, heB次元官网网址檚 got a hammer. ItB次元官网网址檚 the only thing he knows. Eventually people will get tired of him being an idiot, but people are going to suffer until that happens.B次元官网网址�

Keri Kettle, associate professor of marketing at the University of OttawaB次元官网网址檚 Telfer school of management, said that with groceries so expensive, and some American products cheaper than local ones, it could seem like a luxury to choose brands based on where they are manufactured.

But he said it was good to see Canadians rally around their identity by B次元官网网址渕aking more conscious choices about the brands that they support.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淪ome of the provincial governments are taking very strong stances and removing U.S. from the shelf,B次元官网网址� he said, referring to measures including the removal of some U.S. liquor from government-run stores in B.C. and Ontario.

B次元官网网址淪o, I think itB次元官网网址檚 very much driven by our identity B次元官网网址� As a proud Canadian, I think itB次元官网网址檚 a great thing to have something like this every once in a while to remind people that theyB次元官网网址檙e Canadian first and for a real strong sense of national identity for Canada.B次元官网网址�

Atkinson said he grew increasingly displeased by MuskB次元官网网址檚 meddling in foreign politics, support for right-wing groups, and what he saw as TrumpB次元官网网址檚 threats on Canadian sovereignty.

HeB次元官网网址檚 now paying for his two cars, with about $1,800 left in lease payments on the Tesla while heB次元官网网址檚 paying $800 a month for the purchase of his new Volkswagen that he picked up 10 days ago.

His only disappointment is that when he went to the Tesla dealer to return his car, many others were waiting to pick up new Teslas.

Tesla does not release sales figures for Canada but rebate data from Transport CanadaB次元官网网址檚 zero-emission vehicle program suggest about 33,000 Teslas received rebates in the nine months to Dec. 31. On a per-month basis, that is down about 15 per cent compared to the approximately 50,000 Teslas that received the rebates in the full 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Atkinson is now rethinking other expenditures.

B次元官网网址淚 think we should start thinking about considering not travelling to the United States B次元官网网址� and itB次元官网网址檚 hard, I recognize that, but wherever possible, buy Canadian rather than goods imported from the U.S.,B次元官网网址� said Atkinson.