Every other month, CFIB members lend their opinions to 'Your Voice,' a survey exploring a variety of current topics. The latest takeaways are showcased in a series of informative charts that summarize these findings.

Your Voice Highlights

July 2025

The July 2025 edition of Your Voice captures the latest views of small business owners across Canada. Spanning over 2,000 responses, the survey highlights the ongoing pressures facing entrepreneurs—from rising costs to shifting trade dynamics—and outlines the actions needed to foster business growth and resilience.

Tax Relief and Investment Priorities

When asked how meaningful tax relief would affect their operations, most small business owners pointed to immediate cost relief and longer-term growth. Over half (55%) would use it to stabilize operations or manage rising costs, while more than one in three (35%) said they would invest, grow, or expand their business.

Small business corporate income tax was the top area identified for cuts, followed by personal income and sales taxes. Savings would primarily go toward boosting staff pay, reducing debt, and expanding operations.

Trade Environment

Tariff impacts from the U.S.-Canada trade tensions continue to weigh heavily on businesses, especially those involved in trade. In response to the trade war risks, businesses say they’ve raised prices (40%), turned to domestic suppliers (36%), or absorbed extra costs (31%). Tariffs on U.S. imports were reported almost six times more often than on exports. Most businesses are absorbing tariff costs—either alone or through cost sharing. On exports, 63% covered costs directly or shared them. On imports, 67% paid the full tariff without supplier adjustments.

Infrastructure Outlook
 
There is strong support among small businesses for faster approvals of national infrastructure projects. Most say these improvements would help grow the economy, improve transportation and supply chain access, and attract investments in local communities. At the same time, many feel overlooked in planning and execution, and worry that accelerating projects may reduce attention to environmental impacts.
 
These findings reflect a business community focused on cost control, predictable trade conditions, and smarter public investment. Continued advocacy and targeted policy will be key to meeting their evolving needs. 

Dive Deeper into the Numbers

Explore the interactive dashboard below to delve into the data from our July 2025 Your Voice survey.  You can filter the data by province, sector, business size, and age for SMEs across the nation.

Marvin Cruz

Director of Research

Explore more July 2025 insights and our extensive survey collection below.