Fund your costs in the face of tariffs
The Government of Canada's Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) supports businesses hit by U.S. and Chinese tariffs with up to $3M in non-repayable funding. Hubvention measures your tariff exposure, picks the right stream and builds your application to secure the funding you need to adapt.
The two streams of the RTRI
- Stream 1
Liquidity assistance
Up to $2M
To keep your operations and jobs going while tariffs squeeze your margins. The amount is based on roughly 50% of your average monthly payroll, for up to 12 months, and covers wages, rent, utilities, insurance and property taxes. Non-repayable.
- Stream 2
Reorientation projects
Up to $1M
To invest in what makes you less vulnerable: productivity, automation, digitization, new export markets, a stronger supply chain. Up to 50% of eligible costs, non-repayable.
The two streams can be combined: up to $3M in non-repayable funding for the same business.
The RTRI by region
Each region delivers the RTRI through its economic development agency. Select yours to check your eligibility.
Frequently asked questions about tariffs
It is a temporary Government of Canada measure for businesses affected by U.S. or Chinese tariffs, or by Canadian countermeasures. It is delivered by each region's economic development agency and has two streams: liquidity assistance, up to $2M, and reorientation projects, up to $1M. The two can be combined for up to $3M in non-repayable funding.
The criteria vary from one region to another. In Quebec, for example, you must be an incorporated for-profit business with annual revenue of at least $1M, have been viable before March 21, 2025, and show exposure to tariffs: operating in a sector targeted by tariffs, earning at least 25% of revenue from goods ultimately exported to the United States or China, or facing a significant increase in the cost of inputs.
In Quebec, Canada Economic Development is accepting applications now. Liquidity assistance covers a period ending no later than March 31, 2028, and reorientation projects must be completed by March 31, 2029. A project may have started up to 12 months before the application is submitted.
We start by measuring your actual tariff exposure, with figures to back it up, because that is the heart of the file. We then choose which stream or streams to apply for, build the application to the requirements of your region's agency, submit it and answer the analyst's questions through to the decision.
Yes. The RTRI can be combined with other programs depending on your project: in Quebec, ESSOR and the C3i tax credit for equipment and automation; across Canada, CanExport to win new markets and SR&ED if you are developing new products. We build a complete funding plan that respects the stacking rules for public assistance.