RTRI: up to $3M for Quebec businesses hit by tariffs

The Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) is delivered by Canada’s regional development agencies as part of the federal tariff response plan. In Quebec it is run by Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED). Together, the agencies are deploying $3.45 billion to help affected businesses ease liquidity pressures, strengthen their competitiveness and diversify their markets, according to the official program page. The first intake closed on October 31, 2025.

What is new this fall fits in one word: liquidity. On top of the investment projects funded in the first round, the program now offers short-term, non-repayable support to keep operations and jobs going through the trade disruption. Businesses already funded under the RTRI have been able to apply for it since August 22, 2026. CED is also accepting new applications now, and projects have until March 31, 2029 to wrap up.

As with any discretionary program, nothing is automatic: CED assesses each application against the program criteria, the demonstrated need and the business’s proposed response to the tariffs. The figures below come from CED’s program page, consulted on September 25, 2026.

The RTRI brings together two kinds of support that a business can apply for separately or together.

Three basic conditions first. The business must be a for-profit corporation located and operating in Quebec. It must have generated annual revenue of at least $1M in one of its last two fiscal years. And it must have been viable before March 21, 2025, which CED checks through an attestation, financial information and the company’s operating history. No industry is ruled out up front.

The RTRI is not limited to direct exporters. A machine shop in Montérégie that sells parts to a trailer manufacturer, which in turn exports to Vermont, is part of an affected exporter’s supply chain. It is one of the least-known features of the program, and it widens the pool of eligible businesses considerably.

The business then has to show the impact of U.S. or Chinese tariffs, or of Canadian countermeasures or countervailing duties. CED’s page recognizes three situations:

The liquidity stream does not fund a project: it covers part of your ongoing expenses for up to 12 months. Eligible costs are salaries and wages, plus recurring operating expenses such as rent or a commercial lease, utilities, commercial insurance and property taxes. No pivot project is required to qualify.

The amount awarded is the lowest of three figures: the cash need shown by your 12-month forecast, 50% of your payroll over the same period, and $2M. Take a business whose average monthly payroll is $150,000. Half of that over 12 months comes to $900,000. If its cash flow forecast shows a shortfall of $600,000, the lower figure applies.

Two commitments come with the money. The business attests that it will maintain its operations and jobs in Canada, then reports on its headcount and payroll during and after the agreement. The amount may also be reduced to account for other government support. And costs already reimbursed under another wage or operating support program cannot be claimed a second time.

The second stream funds projects that make the business more productive, more competitive and less exposed to the next trade shock. Up to $1M, the contribution is non-repayable and covers up to 50% of project costs, provided the project generates significant economic benefits. Above that, CED offers an interest-free repayable contribution of up to 75% of costs, up to $20M per business including liquidity support.

Costs must be new, incremental and directly tied to the project, which must deliver measurable results. Land and building purchases, motor vehicles, entertainment expenses and debt refinancing are excluded.

A rare feature in the funding landscape: a project’s start date may precede the application by up to 12 months. An automation project launched in the spring of 2026 can still be submitted. Every project must, however, be completed by March 31, 2029.

The list of eligible activities published by CED names exactly what an AI project delivers:

Take a metal components manufacturer in the Beauce region: 60 employees, $12M in revenue, 40% of it sold in the United States. Steel tariffs have pushed up its costs and slowed its orders. It wants to automate quote preparation and production scheduling with AI agents hosted on its own premises, so it can respond faster to new customers in Canada and Europe. Project budget: $240,000.

It starts with a phone call. A business that is already a CED client contacts its advisor. Everyone else calls 1-800-561-0633 or writes to CED through the form on the program page. The agency commits to calling back within one business day to assess eligibility and send the application form. A detail not without irony: CED notes that automated systems or artificial intelligence may be used to support the review of applications.

The application brings together the following:

Three concrete steps. First, gather the evidence of exposure: the share of your sales that ends up in the United States or China, your suppliers’ price increases, the orders you have lost. Next, put numbers on the pivot project, even rough ones, because CED funds incremental, measurable results. Then call CED without waiting: processing applications from Quebec businesses hit by tariffs is a stated priority for the agency.

At Cogio, we cost the AI project, the expected productivity gains and the funding package in a single proposal. Our Funding page sets out the RTRI alongside the other programs, and our overview of AI funding in Canada covers the other federal levers.