Quebec takes swipe at Trump in new buy local ad campaign

The Quebec government is once again trying to get people to purchase locally, this time with an ad campaign that includes some wordplay that references U.S. President Donald Trump.

The ad campaign, which officially launched Thursday, encourages people to support Quebec industries, businesses and workers in light of the ongoing trade war with the United States.

That also means choosing Quebec products at the grocery store, consuming Quebec culture and travelling within the province instead of going south of the border.

The slogan, written in French, goes like this: "En achetant Québécois, on ne se Trompe pas," which in English means that we can't go wrong buying Quebec products.

In the animated ad for video platforms, the word "Trompe" is temporarily misspelled with a "u" instead of an "o" — an obvious jab at the president.

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Tariff threats by U.S. President Donald Trump haven’t just inspired many Canadians to cease buying products from our southern neighbour, they’ve also shed light on just how tangled our two economies are, and how complex the answer can be when trying to figure out where a product is made.

"We're launching this campaign to reiterate something that is obvious, but essential: Buying local and choosing Québécois is the best way to support our businesses," the office of Quebec Premier François Legault said in a statement to Radio-Canada.

"Choosing Québécois is concrete action in light of the unjustified decisions of the Trump administration."

The ad campaign is expected to last two weeks across print, broadcast and digital media. 

According to Radio-Canada, the campaign cost $321,000.

On Wednesday, Trump announced a pause for most of the "reciprocal tariffs" he had imposed on a large number of countries around the world, which doesn't change anything as far as Canada is concerned. U.S. tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles, steel, aluminum and energy remain in place.

On Thursday, Legault was in Sherrington, Que., a municipality in the Montérégie located about 30 kilometres away from the U.S. border. 

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The province is once again trying to get Quebecers to purchase locally. This time, the government is launching an ad campaign that includes wordplay referencing U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as offering financial support for a specific type of local food production.

He announced a $5 million investment in Produit Frais FMS, a large agricultural company, so it can build a plant to treat and package carrots.

The Quebec government says this investment is part of its effort to make the province more self-sufficient when it comes to food products.

According to the province, its investment would cover about 20 per cent of the project's cost.