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
October 2025
The October 2025 edition of Your Voice captures the latest perspectives of 2,899 small business owners across Canada. Respondents were asked how well provincial governments understand their needs, whether they would recommend starting a business today, and how crime is affecting their operations. The findings reveal that small business owners are navigating a complex environment marked by cost pressures, policy disconnects, and safety concerns. Their priorities are clear: they want governments to focus on fiscal discipline, cost relief, and reduced taxation. These insights underscore the need for responsive, small-business-focused policy action.
Confidence in provincial government
Confidence in provincial governments is fragile, with two-thirds of business owners feeling unsupported. Most respondents doubt their governments understand the cost pressures they face and that there is a clear vision to foster entrepreneurship. Confidence in upcoming budgets is also low, with businesses expecting few measures to strengthen the economic environment. This signals a disconnect between small business realities and policy approaches.
Entrepreneurship
Rising expenses and economic volatility are dampening entrepreneurial confidence across all sectors, with 1 in 2 small business owners not recommending starting a business. High costs, economic instability, and tax burdens are driving caution, especially in transportation, hospitality, and manufacturing.
Community safety
Half of small business owners report rising crime in their communities, with concern highest in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. While worry about worsening crime has eased slightly, half remain concerned for personal and staff safety—especially in Western Canada—highlighting persistent safety challenges. Small businesses feel the taxes they pay are not reflective of improvements to community safety and are calling for tougher penalties on organized retail crime and better intergovernmental coordination.
Explore more October 2025 insights and our extensive survey collection below.
Share Article
Print Article
