A wave of economic patriotism has swept across Canada amid US hostility, helping some businesses thrive despite Donald Trump's tariffs. "Made in Canada" signs are proudly displayed, and a domestic travel boom has supported small businesses. However, the economic outlook remains uncertain, with Trump's trade war showing no sign of lifting and Canada's aluminium, steel, lumber, and auto sectors facing prolonged tariffs that have already forced factories to close and shed jobs. On Friday, the government announced that 42,000 jobs were lost in August.

Canada's small businesses, which account for nearly half of the country's private sector GDP according to 2022 government data and employ about a quarter of Canadians, are especially vulnerable. Some 40 per cent of the country's goods exports are generated by small and medium-sized enterprises. While much remains free of levies under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, Trump announced a new 50 per cent tariff affecting many of them.

One in three small or medium enterprises also buy more than half of their goods from the US, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and will be hit by Ottawa's retaliatory tariffs. Chapman's ice cream has said it will replace 70 per cent of US ingredients with Canadian suppliers by mid-2027. The family-run business in Markdale, Ontario, employs 1,150 people and saw some of its best sales figures this summer despite the latest tariffs.

Maker House, an Ottawa-based retail and online gift store, has seen success offering 300 Canadian-made products and stopped sending products to the US after costs increased. Leaning Post Wines has also adapted its sourcing strategies in response to trade barriers.