Now if buying Canadian meant having better options. Crave is the only Canadian streaming platform I know of and on top of giving money to Bell, it’s… not great.
If there’s not a Canadian streaming option, there’s always piracy. I’m not so much doing “Buy Canadian” as I am doing “Buy Not American” or not buy at all.
CBC Gem for what it has, piracy for the rest.
This is the Maple way
The USA has been fucking us over for decades not just since they elected their god emperor. There is greenhouse produce available all year and frozen for the few times it is not.
Yup, which is why we should have been diversifying decades ago. Kudos to Carney for doing it now, but like… this really shouldn’t be the conversation in 2026.
CBC Gem is an excellent addition to Canadian streaming options.
cant see GEM in Australia. Geo blocked
Eh. Personally I only ever consistently watched CBC for Hockey Night in Canada, and they kinda lost that.
It’s back, covering the PWHL!
Which is badass. Its a different game, not saying better or worse, just different. Very fun to watch live too.
What sort of non sports shows do you usually enjoy?
Science fiction, medical/police/similar dramas, the occasional sitcom, etc. The Big Bang Theory, for example, is not on CBC. Star Trek is not on CBC. The Expanse didn’t originally run and currently doesn’t rerun on CBC. Chicago PD/Fire/Med isn’t on CBC. Grey’s Anatomy isn’t on CBC. Even ER isn’t on CBC. I’m sure they have original Canadian content that tries to be similar, but if you have to literally flip through their catalogue to try to find a show that checks off vaguely similar boxes, that’s most of the problem. Most of the shows I listed are on Netflix, Prime or Crave. Or if you’re strictly buying Canadian, Crave.
You realize that you’re talking about “buying Canadian”, but dissatisfied that the Canadian broadcaster doesn’t have American shows, yes?
It’s more I’m disappointed in the quality of the Canadian shows. But also, watching American TV on a Canadian platform is still buying Canadian. Bell already paid the Americans for the rights.
The first three seasons of the expanse are on CBC Gem.
I don’t watch many police/med procedurals (or much of what you’ve listed) but they seem to have a few procedurals etc, I think Republic of Doyle is one? Oh, Luther is a detective series and solid stuff, not sure if that scratches your itch? A couple others I don’t know much about… Kind of different and I do love Natasha Lyon so I’m biased but Pokerface seems like a fun take on the procedural.
Mr D is a sitcom, seems on par with Big Bang? Also, they have Portlandia which is sketch comedy but hilarious.
Might be a but highbrow but Reservation Dogs is great stuff.
To each their own though, good luck!
The first three seasons of the expanse are on CBC Gem.
The other half of the series is only on Prime.
Yup. I don’t think you can fault CBC gem for not, I dunno, pirating a prime “original” series. (Prime bought the rights once the sci fi channel or whatever it was called cancelled it.)
Oh, I’m not faulting anyone. It’s just an example of why this whole thing is lowkey dumb. If you’re on a strict “buy Canadian” diet, you get half a good TV series. Having watched the whole thing before things got lowkey dumb, that’s kind of a ripoff.
Canada: Removes US liquor from shelf
US: 🤡😭😡🖕🏼
US: Bans Canadian liquor
Canada: ok 🤷🏼♀️
Our stuff is better anyway, so I’ll just keep buying Canadian… Or anything that ISN’T from the US. Simple, easy choice, really.
This, twice. Give me Crown over Jack any day.
So for the folks that are concerned about not having good Canadian streaming services, there IS an alternative me hearties! Yaarrrr!
Yet Walmart is still raking in the $$$…
I mean, sometimes cheapest wins. As long as what you’re walking out with is Canadian or at least not American. Personally my other options are Loblaws and Metro, and between the three of them milk is usually cheaper at Walmart, just as an example. And yes, I buy a Canadian brand.
“Fun” fact: Walmart has/had an entire business strategy that boils down to:
- Enter new market,
- Undercut new market, using established stores to support the new one,
- Pay employees poorly so that they can’t afford established businesses even if they wanted to,
- Drive out local businesses/any competition at all,
- Jack up prices so store can be successful.
Buying cheap from Walmart is not a good idea.
Neither is getting ripped off by Loblaws.
Most centrists gave up on the loblaws boycott after a month.
I doubt most Canadians are boycotting u.s goods.
I doubt most Canadians are boycotting u.s goods
Your doubts don’t match my experience. I still see people in stores reading labels and putting things back if they say "made in USA ".
We totally are.
