Regional Tariff Response Initiative
Helping Canadian businesses adapt, grow, and build resilience in a shifting trade landscape
The Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI), delivered by Canada's regional development agencies, is part of the Government of Canada's strategy to defend Canadian jobs, industries, and supply chains. This new initiative is part of a coordinated effort to protect Canadian businesses and workers from the impacts of tariffs.
With $1 billion in targeted support over three years, the RTRI strengthens the competitiveness of Canadian businesses by helping them boost productivity, cut costs, build stronger supply chains, and reach new markets. It equips small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the organizations that support them, to seize new opportunities, adapt to global trade disruptions, and boost domestic trade. These investments will contribute to long-term economic resilience in the face of continued global uncertainty.
The RTRI includes up to $150 million in targeted support for SME projects in the Canadian steel sector. This focused investment will enable small- and medium-sized steel businesses to adapt to tariffs, stabilize domestic supply chains, and boost productivity.
The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) will deliver funding under this initiative in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. CanNor collaborates with other federal departments, Indigenous partners, and territorial governments so that businesses have access to the full range of supports available to them.
Who can apply for RTRI funding?
Eligible recipients include:
- Incorporated companies, corporations, and co-operatives;
- Indigenous-owned businesses and organizations; and,
- Non-profit organizations that support businesses.
Applicants must show that at least 25% of their sales are to the U.S. and/or China, or demonstrate they, or the businesses they support, have been directly or indirectly affected by ongoing trade disruptions, including new U.S. and China tariffs or Canadian countermeasures.
What types of activities are eligible for funding?
Eligible activities focus on boosting productivity, driving growth, and diversifying markets for SMEs and sectors affected by tariffs or countermeasures. Examples include:
- Investing in digitization, automation, and technology to enhance productivity and competitiveness.
- Developing and expanding markets to help SMEs find new customers.
- Optimizing global supply chain logistics and ensuring compliance with standards to gain market access and/or enhance sales.
- Strengthening domestic supply chains and facilitating internal trade to increase the resilience and competitiveness of SMEs and the reliability of domestic markets.
- Reshoring production, research and development operations, and recruiting highly qualified personnel and expertise.
To apply
If you feel that the Regional Tariff Response Initiative is right for you, contact operations@cannor.gc.ca to express interest or for more information.