Tariff relief out of reach for impacted Whitehorse businesses, lobby group says
Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce says federal rules sideline smaller enterprises
A Whitehorse business lobby group is concerned the federal tariff response initiative is out of reach for many Yukon-based businesses that are feeling the impacts of the tariffs and countertariffs.
The eligibility threshold is too high for many small-and medium-sized businesses in the Yukon’s capital to apply for Canada’s tariff relief program, according to the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce.
A spokesperson said that’s because many smaller and mid-sized businesses in the territory aren’t hitting the program’s minimum of $1 million a year in revenue.
The federal initiative offers support for eligible businesses in sectors impacted by the U.S. tariffs amid the escalating trade dispute initiated by United States President Donald Trump. The types of federal support include liquidity assistance and “pivot projects,” as noted on the government of Canada’s website.
Andrei Samson, the executive director of the Whitehorse business chambers, said the federal government needs to make an exception by lowering the program’s limit for businesses to be able to apply in the territory.
“We’re seeing that some of the support that are available at this point are not really specifically going to benefit our SMEs [small and medium enterprises] who are indirectly impacted,” she said.
While some bigger businesses are seeing more direct impacts from tariffs, Samson said small-and medium-sized enterprises make up about 80 per cent of the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce’s membership.
The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, also known as CanNor, delivers the new tariff relief initiative across the northern territories.
Samson said she recently met with Rebecca Chartrand, who is the northern affairs minister and also responsible for CanNor.
In a statement, Chartrand said she has heard the pressures raised by northern businesses and the chambers.
Chartrand said she recognizes that the national program doesn’t reflect the reality on the ground in the Yukon when it comes to tariff-related issues such as freight and logistics, input costs, supplier changes and lower margins.
But since the initiative is part of a federal suite of programs, Chartrand said the eligibility criteria must be consistent. In the meantime, she said she is working to ensure federal programs address the territory’s “distinct economic circumstances.”
According to a media advisory, the minister will be announcing measures to support Yukon businesses amid the trade war later Tuesday morning.
Mostly indirect impacts in territory
Only a small portion of Yukon businesses are affected directly by the trade situation, according to the Whitehorse business chamber.
But it’s the indirect impacts that Samson said she’s more so hearing concerns about.
She said businesses working in retail and other sectors are being hit in the form of higher shipping costs and rising inflation.
“Some of those pain points, that includes labour, reducing red tape … and also just having an environment for businesses so they can actually grow,” Samson said.
“Certain support would be really key right now for our businesses, if they wanted to expand, because we don’t have a big market here in Whitehorse.”
Samson said the business chamber is working to better understand the cost of the ongoing trade situation.
Yukon business hit hard
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce held a business survey across Canada to gauge the impact of tariffs.
One business from the Yukon told the Canadian chamber that they are “severely impacted” as it works to diversify away from exporting and find new ways to sell its goods.
Prior to the tariffs, the business said 85 per cent of its sales went to the United States, according to the national chamber.
The chamber declined to name the business for confidentiality reasons.
Andrew DiCapua, the Canadian chamber’s principal economist, said smaller companies have less resources than larger businesses. That allows big businesses to shift or switch markets more easily, he said.
“A lot of times small businesses, right, they’re not focused on, you know, looking to new markets. It’s what’s in front of them. It’s what’s immediate,” he said.
“Building resilience takes time and effort.”
DiCapua said tariffs are driving up the cost of doing business — something that’s more acutely felt in northern places like the Yukon.
While data isn’t available for the Yukon, based on the chamber’s numbers from 2025, DiCapua said 65 out of the 77 businesses in the territories that export only export to one partner.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Ottawa invests $885,225 to turn Mackenzie Delta reindeer herd management into business, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Electricity to get more expensive in the north due to new Sweden-Finland powerline, Radio Sweden
Norway: Resource extraction projects, dwindling sea ice power Arctic shipping surge, Eye on the Arctic
Russia: Northern Sea Route cargo traffic to rise 14 per cent as Chinese shipping expands, says Rosatom, Eye on the Arctic
United States: Net-Zero Framework for int’l shipping shelved for a year after U.S. led-pushback, Eye on the Arctic
