Kraft Heinz Canada could not bottle up its disappointment with what it says were “misleading” comments from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about its ketchup amid looming tariff threats.
After a meeting with Canada’s premiers earlier this week, the prime minister said his government will retaliate against any tariff U.S. President Donald Trump should lay against Canadian goods by imposing counter-tariffs against American-made products, particularly with products Canadians have alternatives to shop for.
“That’s why we will look, as we have in the past, at things that have replacements for Canadian consumers that wouldn’t be tariffed,” Trudeau told reporters on Wednesday.
“The example from last time was Heinz’s ketchup being replaced by French’s ketchup, because French’s was still using Canadian tomatoes in its ketchup.”
The comment turned Kraft Heinz red in the face, prompting the company to release a statement in which it said that – with the exception of a five-year period – the company has been producing Canadian-made ketchup for over a century.
The ketchup production facility had moved to the U.S. in 2015, out of Leamington, Ont., but returned to Canada five years later in Montreal.
“We were resolute in our decision to bring the production of Heinz Ketchup back to Canada in 2020 and are proud that Heinz Ketchup is made in Canada, by Canadians, using Canadian tomatoes,” the company said.
Kraft Heinz Canada says it employs more than 1,000 Canadians at its Mont Royal Quebec factory, using Ontario-grown tomatoes for its ketchup. The company adds it is not only one of the largest food manufacturers in Canada, but also the biggest purchaser of tomatoes in Ontario.
At the very start of his presidential term, Trump said his administration could start imposing sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports as early as next week, on Feb. 1.
“We are thinking in terms of 25 per cent on Mexico and Canada because they are allowing vast number of people, Canada is a very bad abuser also, vast numbers of people to come in and fentanyl to come in,” Trump said on Monday night, after signing a slew of executive orders at the White House.
The threat of these across-the-board tariffs has prompted several meetings for Canada’s political leaders. It has also been cited by Ontario Premier Doug Ford as his primary reason for calling an early provincial election next week.
“We need a mandate from the people to fight against Donald Trump’s tariffs. He’s coming against our families, our businesses, our communities,” Ford said.
With files from The Canadian Press
