It’s no secret Canadians have been trying to buy Canadian, given the rhetoric coming from our neighbours to the south.

So when Vancouver’s Tomáš Švec saw a need to help Canadians find Canadian, he got right to work.

That’s when he created trycanadian.ca, a website that tells you how Canadian a product is — or isn’t — and presents you with more Canadian alternatives.

“I saw there were only a few websites that covered this topic so I thought, I can do better,” Švec said.

“So I started working on it.”

He says that currently, there are 600 to 700 U.S. companies listed on the site, which he matches with Canadian counterparts. He is adding roughly 40 companies to the site every day, researching company ownership, founding and headquarters locations, and where products are made. The information is then presented in a simple format.

The site comes as many apps designed to help shoppers buy Canadian-made products face criticism. For example, some apps will consider a product based on where it is made, while others look at ownership, where ingredients come from, and where the money goes.

This can leave shoppers with a confusing range of options.

Švec says his site isn’t meant to tell you what to buy, but aims to lay out information and make choosing Canadian easier.

He shared the example of a specific product that claims to use 100 per cent Canadian mustard seeds, but if you look closely, the label tells a different story.

“You can type in the producer, and you can see it’s an American company, and you can see some Canadian alternatives.”

Švec says the site accepts donations, but he wants everyone to have access to the information it provides.

“The website is free and will stay free and be accessible to everyone,” he said.