Trade Tensions Spark a Made-in-Canada Moment

By Robert Marshall

July 22, 2025

Trade Tensions Spark a Made-in-Canada Moment

🇨🇦 This Week in Canadian Business: Trade, Tariffs & Local Opportunity

Canada’s premiers are meeting in Ontario this week with trade and tariffs topping the agenda, as U.S. President Trump threatens new 35% tariffs on Canadian goods. Prime Minister Mark Carney admits a fully tariff-free deal with the U.S. isn’t likely and is rolling out tough new measures to protect Canadian steel, including big tariffs on over-quota imports and more “Buy Canadian” rules for public projects.

With U.S. markets getting harder to access, Canadian companies like Hamilton’s Walters Group are doubling down on local projects to avoid layoffs. Meanwhile, provinces are teaming up to break down internal trade barriers and speed up energy and infrastructure builds. The mood? Unusually united, and focused on keeping Canadian dollars and jobs at home.

Elsewhere:

Alimentation Couche-Tard scrapped its $46B bid for 7-Eleven’s parent company and is looking for new deals.
Rental housing is booming, condos are slumping, and a luxury New York REIT is trying a rare Canadian IPO.
Ottawa’s ramped-up defence spending is opening new doors for both established firms and tech startups.

Bottom line:
Canadian business is pivoting fast, toward local supply chains, local contracts, and more collaboration between provinces. If you’re a Canadian SMB, now’s the time to tap into new opportunities here at home.

🚀 CanDoBusiness Platform Updates

We’ve officially launched! In our first week, we’ve welcomed our first signups and have already seen encouraging engagement on the platform, over 230 users have explored what CanDoBusiness has to offer, with nearly 1,000 page views in just a few days.

We know we’re just getting started, but every new signup and every minute spent on the site matters. Your feedback is shaping how we improve. We’re listening closely, rolling out tweaks behind the scenes, and quietly working to make things smoother and more useful for Canadian businesses.

If you’ve recently joined, thank you for being an early part of this journey. Try posting an RFQ, building out your company profile, or just poke around, then let us know what you think. The more you share, the better we get.

We’re building something that’s already starting to gain real traction. Stick with us and watch it grow!