Faces of the Trade War

Donald Trump’s trade war is an existential threat for Canada’s small and medium-sized businesses. Every year, they export more than $200 billion worth of goods to the United States and import nearly $150 billion worth—including equipment, food, construction materials and other products they need to stay afloat. Now, as businesses contend with tariff-induced inflation, suppliers are disappearing, prices are skyrocketing and profit margins are shrinking or vanishing altogether. That puts small-business owners on the frontlines of the trade war. Here, five of them describe their hopes, fears and game plans as they navigate U.S. tariffs, Canadian countermeasures and an economic climate of unprecedented uncertainty.

TRADE WAR

How Tariffs Are Making Beer More Expensive

Trump’s trade war is jacking up costs for just about everything our Canadian craft brewery needs

By Bromlyn Bethune

TRADE WAR

Trump’s Tariffs Are Destroying the Trucking Industry

The border chaos is forcing freight businesses to pivot away from the U.S.

By Lisa McEwan

TRADE WAR

The Trade War Killed My Company’s American Expansion

Growing in the U.S. has always been my ambition. It no longer feels financially—or ethically—possible.

By James McInnes

TRADE WAR

The Maddening Uncertainty of Trump’s Tariffs

My Winnipeg factory employs 40 people. Trump’s tariffs could put us all out of work.

By Derek Hird

TRADE WAR

Trump’s Trade War Could Make My Company Stronger

Tariffs could have destroyed my business. Dealing with them is preparing us for anything.

By Noorudin Jiwani

This story appears in the July 2025 issue of Maclean’s. You can buy the issue here, subscribe to the magazine here or send a gift subscription here.