The Regional Tariff Response Initiative will help businesses respond, adapt, and compete amid shifting market conditions
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of Canada's economy. In a rapidly changing world, SMEs must grow, adapt, and lead. This is how we build a stronger, more resilient Canada and that work starts right here at home.
Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for FedNor, announced that Northern Ontario businesses can now apply to the Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) -- a targeted program built to help SMEs respond to global shocks and build for the future. To strengthen this support, the Government of Canda doubled the RTRI national investment from $450 million to $1 billion over three years. Delivered through Canada's regional development agencies, this investment will help boost productivity, diversify markets, strengthen supply chains, and grow domestic trade, helping businesses stay competitive and resilient in a shifting global landscape.
This is backed by a comprehensive suite of trade resilience measures in Canadian history, including:
- A reskilling package to train workers: The government will invest an additional $450 million over the next three years under the Labour Market Development Agreements. In partnership with provinces and territories, this investment will provide training programs for workers impacted by tariffs and global market shifts.
- Employment Insurance temporary measures: The Government will extend measures until April 11, 2026, to ensure income stability for workers, particularly those who are most vulnerable to income shocks. This includes:
- Waiving the one-week EI waiting period to support an additional 700,000 EI claimants.
- Investing $1.6B over five years to temporarily give 20 extra weeks of income support, up to a maximum of 65 weeks to support nearly 190,000 long-tenured workers (LTWs).
- Workforce Alliances and Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund: The Government will invest $382 million over five years to tackle urgent labour market challenges, bring together government, employers, unions, and industry organizations to develop and implement tailored workforce development strategies, and drive growth.
- A new Buy Canadian Policy: The Government will introduce a new policy to ensure the federal government buys from Canadian suppliers, require local content when domestic suppliers are unavailable, extend this approach to all federal funding streams and Crown corporations, and provide a roadmap for provinces and municipalities to apply similar standards to their own procurement.
The full list of measures are available here.
With economic uncertainty putting pressure on businesses and workers, Canada must act now. These measures will equip Northern Ontario with the tools it needs to build Canada strong.
