read the label

  The heart and soul of Dudley Does Right will be Citizen Dudleys — reports from the field about what's behind what's for sale.

    Maybe we’ll start by giving our people dudleydoesright.ca made-in-Canada super-spy magnifying glasses to read labels and fine print on packaging.  Then they can check that against web info and maybe add personal stories about the product or the companies involved.  Call it Doing a Dudley. 

    Many Canadians are already doing Dudleys of their own, in response to Trump's Buy America and his trade and culture war that threatens the way we in Canada manage our affairs.  "Don't buy Made In U.S.A.," we say to that. 

    It’s the same scrutiny that environmentalists, folks promoting healthy living, trade unionists and supporters of human rights have advocated for decades now.  Read the label!  Check out the ingredients.  Know what you’re buying, who made it, how it was made, what’s in it, and what’s going on in the country it comes from.  Did making or growing it harm the planet? 

    Let's take a wild guess.  Bet you're buying something today.  So you're already well on your way to doing a Dudley.   Maybe it's just some canned goods or shampoo.  Is it time to get new eyeglasses, or a pair of skis?   Or maybe it's the start of a home renovation!  Read the label.  Get on the internet and start doing your due Dudley.  Get your kids involved.

    Or take inventory.  Read the labels on things on your shelves and the shelves where you shop.  Compare.  Check the websites.   Is it Canadian?  Is it ethical?  Eco-friendly?  What's right about it?  What's wrong?  Why does it matter?

    Write it up and send it in.  We want all sorts of Done Dudleys — from household hints to whistleblowers. The only requirement is that they help Canadians who shop conscientiously.

     Send your Dudleys to: response@dudleydoesright.ca 

my Dudley

    I looked at labels, with my conventional magnifying glass, on products around our house and the places my wife and I shop.  I saw a mess of things to sort out and correct, especially when I got home and did some Googling. 

    Is there anything more Canadian than paper products: toilet paper, paper towels, women’s sanitary products, tissue, disposable adult and child diapers, etc.?   Many popular brands — e.g. Charmin and Bounty — are manufactured in the U.S., yet prominently featured with discount pricing at large Canadian retailers, including Canadian Tire.  Boo!  There are major Buy-Canadian alternatives. Hooray!  Kruger (formerly Scott Canada) products Cashmere, and Scotties are made in B.C. and Quebec.  Irving Tissue, of New Brunswick, now manufactures the Majesta and Royale lines, and, in a twist of acquisitions, Scotties in the U.S.  Now there is the Frank (Ontario, family-owned) line, promoted with low prices at Canadian Tire.  We found the Frank toilet paper budget friendly, but a little light.

       In a situation like this, Dudley Does Right will feature a round-up of brands made by Canadians and Canadian-owned companies.  Then, with input from citizen Dudleys, weigh all that against environmental and reforestation concerns, price, performance, labour issues — along with word of when any deserving products go on sale.  Call that The Full Dudley.  

    We're doing all sorts of Dudleys.  Check out the Dudleypedia button above.