As September comes to a close, Dr. Dori Tunstall returns to PRINT with 100 words and one image—and an idea that lingers well beyond the end of the month. In her ongoing series, the design anthropologist and author of Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook considers the histories, power dynamics, and lived experiences embedded in the things we design. Brief by intention but expansive in scope, each installment invites us to look more closely at what design reveals, whose stories it reflects, and how it can help shape a more culturally conscious future.

Figure 1 Screenshot of Air Canada flight promotion of MadeGood Morning’s 100% Canadian oats breakfast bar. Image credit: Dori Tunstall

Canada is not sorry for the trade war with the United States. Recently, I visited Canada for work and to visit my sister and brother-in-law who have moved to Toronto. I saw the “Buy Canadian” advertisements on TV. The Canadian flags seemed bigger, waving outside Ottawa and Toronto corporate headquarters. I was not ready to see the strong “Made in Canada” message on the snacks offered on my Air Canada flight back to the United States. As a person for whom maple syrup now runs in my veins, I feel torn by the bitter divorce of my two favorite nations.