Canadian Chamber’s Research Pinpoints Most Tariff-Vulnerable Cities in Canada 

Ottawa, ON — According to new analysis released today by the Canadian Chamber’s Business Data Lab, Saint John, New Brunswick, Calgary, Alberta, and Windsor, Ontario, are the Canadians cities most vulnerable to U.S. tariffs. 

The looming tariff threat is still very real: we have to remain vigilant and brace for impact. Already we’ve heard from members across Canada how the threat of tariffs is disrupting local businesses and economies. This new data further emphasizes that this is not a game we want to play when so many livelihoods depend on a stable relationship with the U.S.

• Candace Laing, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

To determine the risk level of the 41 largest cities in Canada, the Business Data Lab developed a U.S. Tariff Exposure Index that reflects both a city’s U.S. export intensity and its dependence on the U.S. as a key export destination. As we examine the top 10 most exposed economies alone, certain key themes and impacts emerge: 

• Key energy exporters such as Calgary, Alberta, and Saint John, New Brunswick. 

• Several cities in Southwestern Ontario’s auto and manufacturing hubs located along the 401 Highway. 

• Canada’s largest steel producer, Hamilton, Ontario.  

• Quebec’s aluminum and forestry producers, Saguenay and Trois-Rivières. 

President Trump’s proposed tariffs will have significant consequences for the global economy — but for some of Canada’s cities, the threat is far more local and personal. With this analysis, Canadians, businesses and policymakers have more evidence to inform ongoing discussions about how Canada can best respond to the monumental challenge brought by unnecessary and unjustified U.S. tariffs.

• Stephen Tapp, Chief Economist, Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

The U.S. Tariff Exposure Index can be found here. Users can interact with the Index to quickly find relevant information for each of Canada’s 41 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) with populations over 100,000, including local GDP, population figures, trade values, and the number of companies in the city that export to the U.S. 

These vulnerability rankings are designed to highlight the relative exposures within Canada to U.S. tariffs. This is a complicated and fluid situation and the ultimate economic damage done will depend heavily on how long these tariffs remain a threat or are put in place.  

About the Business Data Lab’s Canada-U.S. Trade Tracker 

The Canada-U.S. Trade Tracker is a tool designed to illustrate the ties between the Canadian and American economies. The tool delivers real-time insights into trade flows, industry trends, and data-backed analysis, helping businesses and policymakers navigate the uncertainty posed by tariffs and other barriers with clarity and confidence—so we can safeguard North America’s most successful trade relationship for the benefit of all. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab collaborates on its data analysis with its trusted partner Statistics Canada. 

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce — The Future of Business Success  

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada’s largest and most activated business network — representing over 400 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 200,000 business of all sizes, from all sectors of the economy and from every part of the country — working to create the conditions for our collective success. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the undisputed champion and catalyst for the future of business success. From working with government on economy-friendly policy to providing services that inform commerce and enable trade, we give each of our members more of what they need to succeed: insight into markets, competitors and trends, influence over the decisions and policies that drive business success, and impact on business and economic performance.    

Media Contact 

Shane Mackenzie 
Vice President, Media and Stakeholder Communications 
613.302.7683 
smackenzie@chamber.ca