Over 53,000 Canadian Businesses Affected by US Tariffs and Counter-Tariffs as Support Needed, CFIB Says

09:24 AM EDT, 09/10/2026 (MT Newswires) -- More than 53,000 Canadian small businesses are directly impacted by US tariffs, Canadian counter-tariffs, or both, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) said in a Thursday note. CFIB estimates that of the 53,112 small businesses directly impacted are split between 13,160 exporters and 45,414 are importers. Current support programs partially address the issue, leaving about half of impacted businesses without assistance, it added. "Programs that only help a few thousand businesses are unacceptable when tens of thousands need support," said Corinne Pohlmann, CFIB executive vice-president, advocacy. CFIB advocates for three measures: a Small Business Tariff Relief program offering up to CA$70,000; a small- and medium-sized enterprises desk to streamline tariff removals; and immediate tax cuts, including reducing the Small Business Corporate Tax Rate from 9% to 6%, retroactive to the beginning of 2026, and increasing the Small Business Deduction threshold from CA$500,000 to CA$700,000.