Small Indigenous businesses to be hit hard by U.S. tariffs, says national council

The president of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) says that in order to survive the 50 per cent tariffs, small, Indigenous-owned businesses will need to rely on increased financial support. “It’s [more so] going to be about the supports that are coming,” Tabatha Bull, president of the CCIB, told APTN News. Moments before the midnight deadline on Aug. 21, trade negotiations between Canada and the United States fell apart. Carney suspended talks and accused Trump of implementing last-minute measures that could have limited Canada’s ability to do deals with other countries. As a result, the 50 per cent tariffs imposed by the U.S. have started to go ahead. Canada’s “dollar for dollar” response is due to start on Sept. 8. Imposed on Saturday, the tariffs are affecting items such as alcohol, honey, hockey sticks, and more. There is also an additional threat, which would build on existing tariffs applied to auto parts and steel, with a current deadline of Jan. 1, 2027. “When the Americans go to the negotiation table first, with the right attitude toward our industries and a true partnership, of course we’ll come to the negotiating table,” Carney told reporters at a news conference on Monday. “An attitude at the negotiation table that Canada is a subsidiary of the United States, that Canadian industry is going to be disadvantaged relative to American industry, that we are going to set up terms so that over time Canadian industry is going to face constant headwinds, that’s not something we’re going to accept.” Tariffs and levies are an added tax on items from foreign countries, but are used for different reasons. While tariffs are largely implemented in an effort to encourage consumers to buy locally through raising the price of imports, levies are a demand for money from an authority with the end goal of settling a debt. The authority in this case is the Canadian government. Both tariffs and levies can harm businesses when products become too expensive to manufacture and then sell to customers, especially when there’s a cheaper option available to them. Bull said the tariffs and levies are going to affect Indigenous businesses in particular. The CCIB represents about 2,300 members, several of whom are small-to-medium business owners. Bull, who also sits on the federal government’s advisory committee on Canada-U.S. economic relations, said the 50 per cent tariffs and levies are “really going to hit” those businesses, especially. “Especially those that are exporting to the U.S.,” she said. “And we definitely have a number of members who are exporting into the U.S.” For example, several Indigenous-owned businesses rely on online sales to American consumers, Bull added. “That will definitely be impacted,” she said. However, by the same token, Bull said several members she has spoken to have supported Carney’s decision to walk away. As a result, CCIB has begun to prepare financial support to get them through — support which will need the help of government funds. “We’ve had some conversations with federal governments about that, as well as over the weekend, and ensuring that those supports are going to be readily available very quickly for businesses,” Bull said. “And also, that we’re ensuring that small businesses are going to be able to access those supports, and that we’re providing [them] from a navigation perspective, as well.” On Aug. 20, APTN News reported that CCIB would aim to provide several financial supports to businesses in the wake of tariffs, including the Trade Impact Program through Export Development Canada (EDC), a federal stream. The program will deploy $5 billion over two years to help exporters, according to CCIB. As well, the organization will be offering 23 loans of $500 million to those affected. With files from the Canadian Press Continue Reading