Support programs available
Federal government aid measures
To support businesses during this period of uncertainty, the federal government has announced various measures to assist businesses.
Liquidity support
- Export Development Canada (EDC) — New International Trade Support Program to help Canadian exporters break into new markets;
- Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) — Amount of $500 million in preferential-rate loans to support affected businesses;
- A new credit facility to help Canada's largest employers preserve Canadian jobs and avoid bankruptcies;
- Deferral of corporate income tax payments and GST/HST remittances due to the Canada Revenue Agency from April 2 to June 30, 2025;
- Canada Small Business Financing Program to help small businesses obtain loans from financial institutions by sharing risk with lenders.
- The newStrategic Response Fund (SRF) — Amount of $5 billion to help businesses across sectors and regions affected by tariffs to adapt, diversify and innovate. The SRF targets projects over $20 million.
- Regional Tariff Response Initiative (IRRT) — Amount of $1 billion to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 500 employees affected by tariffs.
Easing countermeasures on imports from the United States
- A relief framework : relief from the payment of duties or the reimbursement of duties already paid by Canadian businesses;
- TheDuty Exemption Program and theDrawback Program to allow eligible businesses to import commercial goods without paying duties, or to recover duties paid.
Support to understand USMCA compliance
Apage was recently created by the Canadian Trade Commissioners Service to help businesses better understand the preferential treatment requirements under the USMCA. A telephone hotline is also available.
Quebec government aid measures
The Government of Quebec also offers various programs:
- FRONTIÈRE Program : temporary program aimed at providing financial assistance of up to $50 million to businesses facing liquidity needs and whose revenues are affected by tariffs;
- Productivity Initiative : Financial assistance in the form of interest-free repayable loans and may grant non-repayable contributions to companies presenting investment projects of more than $10 million that stand out in terms of productivity;
- Panorama Program : Support for market diversification.
- Program to support commercialization and export (PSCE): the program is divided into three components with distinct objectives.
- TheStream 1 aims to promote the integration of companies into the supply chains of Quebec's strategic sectors.
- TheStream 2 aims to carry out projects to diversify and consolidate markets outside Quebec. Stream 2 is open from January 15 to 29, 2026 for the territory of Canada.
- TheStream 3 aims to support projects to diversify and consolidate priority markets for companies that have demonstrated strong growth potential in those markets.
