The Regional Tariff Response Initiative is one federal program, but it reaches businesses through seven different doors. A manufacturer in Windsor applies to FedDev Ontario, a processor in Saguenay to CED, a machine shop in Edmonton to PrairiesCan, an exporter in Surrey to PacifiCan. Since September 8, 2026, every one of those doors opens onto the same offer: up to $3 million in non-repayable support for a business hit by tariffs.
Most of what has been written about the expansion is regional — one agency's announcement, one province's numbers. This guide puts the whole country on one page: who delivers RTRI where, what the terms are, and the timing details that decide how much a business can actually draw.
Is there compensation for businesses hit by tariffs?
Not in the sense of a cheque for lost sales. No federal program reimburses revenue a Canadian business lost to US tariffs. The closest thing is RTRI, which was built for exactly that situation: a business that was sound before the tariffs arrived and is now under pressure because of them.
- For cash-flow pressure, RTRI's liquidity lane pays up to $2M, non-repayable, for up to 12 months. PacifiCan and ACOA, for example, calculate it mainly on half of a business's average monthly payroll.
- For changing course— new markets, new products, productivity or supply-chain changes — the pivot lane covers up to 50% of project costs, up to $1M non-repayable.
- For duties already paid on imports, a separate set of CBSA mechanisms (drawback and remission) may refund some of them. Those are customs filings rather than funding, usually prepared by a licensed customs broker; our duty drawback guide explains how they work.
Who delivers RTRI where
A business applies to the agency covering the region where it is located and operating. It is the first question every applicant has to answer, and Ontario is the one province split between two agencies.
| Agency | Covers |
|---|---|
| PacifiCan— Pacific Economic Development Canada | British Columbia |
| PrairiesCan— Prairies Economic Development Canada | Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba |
| FedDev Ontario— Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario | Southern Ontario |
| FedNor— Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario | Northern Ontario |
| CED— Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions | Quebec |
| ACOA— Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency | New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| CanNor— Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency | Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut |
The terms are the same everywhere
Each agency publishes its own pages, but since September 8, 2026 the core offer is national. The $7.5-billion tariff package announced on August 25, 2026 added $1.5 billion to RTRI — now $3.45 billion over four years— and introduced the liquidity lane in every region. The program also includes targeted support for SME projects in the Canadian steel sector.
| Lane | Up to | Cost share | Repayable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquidity support | $2M | Up to 50% of eligible costs, mainly payroll, for up to 12 months | No |
| Pivot project | $1M | Up to 50% of project costs | No |
| Larger pivot project | Over $1M | Up to 75% of project costs | Yes — interest-free |
Liquidity and a non-repayable pivot project together cap at $3M. Adding repayable support, a single business can receive up to $20M.
The eligibility gate is also national:
- An incorporated, for-profit businesslocated and operating in the agency's region
- At least $1 million in annual revenue in one of the last two fiscal years
- Viable before the tariff impact, with evidence of performance and capacity to grow
- Demonstrated impact from the trade disruption, shown in the numbers rather than asserted
Not-for-profits whose main purpose is supporting businesses can apply for pivot funding, but not for liquidity support.
What it looks like region by region
Ontario — FedDev Ontario and FedNor
Ontario is the country's largest manufacturing base, and both of its agencies are delivering the expanded program. FedDev's September announcement also opened support to not-for-profits that help businesses adapt and expand trade. In the north, FedNor's 2026–27 departmental plan notes that Northern Ontario produces 26% of Canada's minerals, 56% of them exported to the US, and that 96% of Ontario's forestry exports go south. FedNor reported 18 approved RTRI projects worth $11.8M in the program's first phase.
Quebec — CED
CED delivers RTRI across all sectors to businesses with at least $1M in revenue. Its 2026 tariff-response announcements have concentrated on aluminum — more than $20M for aluminum processors in May — and on regional manufacturing SMEs from Lanaudière to Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
The Prairies — PrairiesCan
PrairiesCan states that intake is open until December 31, 2028, or until all available funding is committed, and that businesses which received RTRI funding before the expansion may be eligible for more.
Atlantic Canada — ACOA
ACOA's terms mirror the national program, including the payroll-based liquidity calculation and the 12-month retroactive window for project costs.
The North — CanNor
CanNor delivers the expanded program in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut with the same $1M revenue floor; in September 2026 it announced $1.9M for Yukon businesses managing tariff costs.
British Columbia — PacifiCan
PacifiCan rolled out the expansion in BC on September 8. Our BC guide goes deeper on the mechanics — the liquidity calculation, what counts as a pivot, and what the application asks for — and almost all of it applies in other provinces too.
The timing detail that decides how much you get
Two dates matter, and they pull in opposite directions:
- Intake stays open until December 31, 2028, or until funds run out — which makes the program feel unhurried.
- Liquidity support must end by March 31, 2028, and runs for up to 12 months.
Put together, a business approved in 2026 or early 2027 has room for the full 12 months of liquidity support. One that waits until well into 2027 will find the March 2028 end date cutting its support short, whatever its payroll. The pivot lane is less time-sensitive but has its own wall: projects must be complete by March 31, 2029. On the other side of the ledger, project costs can count from up to 12 months before the application is submitted.
Already received RTRI? You may be able to go back
RTRI launched in September 2025, and many businesses already hold a contribution agreement — usually for a pivot project. They are the group most likely to miss the expansion: they have their funding, a relationship with the agency, and no reason to re-read the program page.
ACOA and FedNor both state that current recipients may receive liquidity support beginning no earlier than August 22, 2026, for up to 12 months, provided it does not duplicate costs already covered under the existing agreement.
What RTRI won't pay for
The exclusions are specific: land and building acquisition, entertainment, motor vehicles, and refinancing existing debt. Costs must be new, incremental, and directly tied to the project or to payroll. A business can draw on other federal, provincial or municipal programs at the same time — SR&EDincluded — provided the same cost is never funded twice.
Next steps
If your business has at least $1M in revenue and has felt the tariffs in its numbers, the region decides which agency reads your file, not the core terms on offer. We prepare RTRI applications for businesses across Canada, whichever agency covers them — see how on our programs page. Or send a note through the contact pagewith your province, revenue range, headcount, and a sentence on how the tariffs have hit you; we'll reply within a business day with a first read on which lanes apply and roughly what they are worth.
Frequently asked questions
Is there compensation for Canadian businesses hit by US tariffs?
No federal program reimburses lost sales directly. The closest support is the Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI), which since September 8, 2026 offers tariff-hit businesses up to $3 million in non-repayable funding: up to $2 million in liquidity support and up to $1 million for a pivot project.
Which agency delivers RTRI in each province?
Seven regional development agencies: PacifiCan (British Columbia), PrairiesCan (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba), FedDev Ontario (southern Ontario), FedNor (northern Ontario), CED (Quebec), ACOA (Atlantic Canada) and CanNor (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut).
Who is eligible for RTRI?
Incorporated, for-profit businesses with at least $1 million in annual revenue in one of their last two fiscal years, that were viable before the tariffs and can show the trade disruption has affected them.
What is the deadline to apply for RTRI?
Intake is open until December 31, 2028, or until funding is committed. Liquidity support must end by March 31, 2028 and pivot projects must be complete by March 31, 2029, so applying earlier leaves more of the 12-month liquidity window available.
Can a business that already received RTRI apply again?
Yes. Businesses funded before the September 2026 expansion may be eligible for additional support, including liquidity support beginning no earlier than August 22, 2026, provided it does not duplicate costs already funded.