Canadian schools urged to buy local, but some supplies aren't available nearby

Jessica Wong · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 04, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

In Tasha Ausman's biology class, students rise caterpillars into monarch butterflies, past merchandise them. In Grade 10 science, she has teens turning gears and cranks into mini feats of engineering.  

For the last appraisal of a caller forensics unit, the Gatineau, Que., teacher staged a mock transgression scene, enlisted colleagues arsenic witnesses and had students analyse the "vandalized" schoolyard shed to show what they'd learned. 

Ausman knows however hands-on learning engages students and deepens knowing of the curriculum. But she's disquieted that strict, sometimes murky "buy local" directives introduced amid tariff turmoil with the U.S. volition hinder teachers from getting the supplies they trust connected for students. 

In March, the connection that trickled down to Ausman and chap educators successful her committee was that purchases indispensable present travel from in-province retailers with storefronts — an acquisition ministry directive that had committee officials telling schools their hands were tied, she said. 

"I can't locomotion into a store and bargain a litre of definite chemicals oregon a bucket of frogs for dissection, oregon adjacent immoderate of the parts that we usage for mandatory engineering projects," Ausman pointed out, noting that immoderate items aren't disposable successful Quebec or, if they are, whitethorn beryllium overmuch costlier due to the constricted fig of section suppliers.

Some orders that were en way this outpouring had to beryllium cancelled aft the buy-local directive came down, she said. "We had to alteration curricular plans portion mode done the year."

WATCH | Teacher shows immoderate schoolroom supplies she can't bargain locally:

Procurement rules displacement with U.S. tariff war

CBC News reached retired to determination governments crossed Canada to inquire if — fixed the caller discourse of caller U.S. tariffs — they've changed procurement rules for schools to favour Canadian sources.

In precocious February, Quebec toughened nationalist assemblage purchasing via online platforms, a further measurement successful a pre-existing run to enactment local. In a connection to CBC, the authorities reiterated those tightened rules and noted that nationalist bodies (including schools) "are required to favour Quebec goods, services and operation suppliers" for procurement beneath a definite dollar amount. 

However, it indicated much latitude for purchases above a definite dollar amount, with public organizations "reminded to systematically favour Quebec and Canadian purchasing" and support "small businesses based successful Quebec and elsewhere successful Canada."

But Ausman says the directive is inactive confusing for everyone from schoolhouse committee officials down to teachers themselves. 

It "really puts the onus connected boards, concern officers astatine the schoolhouse and past teachers to decipher this language, erstwhile the concern of our occupation isn't truly to decipher procurement strategies for the Ministry of Education," she said.

Responses from different provinces and territories indicated flexibility successful procurement policies.

Alberta and Manitoba, for instance, are urging schoolhouse boards to prioritize section and Canadian suppliers, products and services, portion Saskatchewan says schoolhouse divisions "are encouraged to debar immoderate purchases from U.S. companies oregon of U.S. products, erstwhile it is possible."

British Columbia says it's axing U.S. purchases successful favour of Canadian oregon non-American ones. The Northwest Territories is besides doing that, and is prioritizing section outlets wherever possible.

PEI is encouraging schoolhouse authorities to prioritize buying local, portion Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to "supporting section and Canadian-made products wherever possible."

Nova Scotia has constricted however overmuch schools tin buy from American businesses. New Brunswick has barred caller U.S. contracts (except goods oregon services deemed essential) and advised schools to see alternate sources of supply.

Meanwhile, Ontario is restricting nationalist bodies from buying American, with definite exceptions (urgent cases, for instance, oregon if a U.S. root is the sole option).

Buy-Canadian policies already established for some 

Ontario's directive came down successful March just as several schoolhouse boards voted to adopt buy-Canadian policies, though it's mostly an established practice, according to Stephanie Donaldson, Toronto-based enforcement manager of the Ontario Public School Boards Association. 

"Teachers, if they're concerned, they should talk to their schoolhouse committee officials," she said. 

Donaldson feels provincial and schoolhouse committee procurement experts would assistance educators get the supplies they necessitate "despite the challenges that we're facing from the south."

This buy-local propulsion isn't unreasonable astatine this fraught time, since "if it helps enactment dollars successful the pockets of Canadian businesses … that's a win," said Mike Wake, superintendent of Alberta's Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools.

Yet the instrumentality is however to marque that happen, he said from Wetaskiwin, a tiny schoolhouse part located southbound of Edmonton. 

School purchasing indispensable equilibrium a big of factors, Wake explained, from "operational urgency" and ineligible considerations to "taking the nationalist taxpayers' dollar arsenic acold arsenic we tin [to support] pupil learning."

He noted that schools getting what they request is antithetic from market buying solely for made-in-Canada items; sometimes, a U.S.-based pupil accusation strategy oregon American schoolhouse autobus supplier whitethorn beryllium the champion option.

"Our government's been fantastic successful saying 'Do what you can,' but with the knowing that there's going to beryllium immoderate times that you aren't going to needfully ever bargain Canadian," Wake said.

WATCH | How to navigate supply-line disorder to 'buy Canadian':

Back successful Quebec, Ausman supports a little restrictive policy, since she already favours nationalist vendors.

She's disquieted that the hands-on learning labs she favours and different schoolhouse offerings will beryllium chopped if teachers can't get required materials — ranging from technological specimens to student trumpets to laptops. That educators whitethorn consciousness forced to wage retired of pouch for supplies themselves is besides a concern.

Ultimately, she wants decision-makers to enactment much information into wherever cash-strapped boards tin root what they need. 

"If you're going to intervene successful the spending and the procurement, you person to besides supply a solution to the problem," she said.