New survey data reveals the depth of financial anxiety gripping Canadian small business owners - and the growing opportunity for advisors
Three-quarters of Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises want tariff-related financial support to be a federal budget priority, according to new research that underscores how deeply trade uncertainty has reshaped the business landscape.
The survey, released November 3, 2026, by bookkeeping automation platform Dext, polled 250 Canadian SME leaders and found that 77 per cent believe the government should prioritise tariff relief in its next budget. Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) say Ottawa is not doing enough to support businesses caught in the crossfire of ongoing Canada-U.S. trade tensions.
The findings come as the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) estimates that more than 53,000 businesses are directly affected by U.S. tariffs, Canadian counter-tariffs, or both - a figure that represents a material shift in the financial picture of many advisor clients across the country.
A client base under pressure
The survey paints a picture of an owner community under sustained stress. Nearly half of respondents (45 per cent) say they fear that any sudden increase in costs could cause them to lose everything they have built.
More than one in four (26 per cent) have already reduced or stopped trading with U.S. suppliers or customers, and 71 per cent say the business environment feels more unpredictable than it did a year ago.
Over half of respondents (53 per cent) say current conditions have made strategic planning and growth decisions impossible, while 22 per cent have delayed or cancelled growth plans altogether.
As Wealth Professional has previously reported, Canadian businesses are confronting a trade conflict that has become an active variable in personal wealth planning, reshaping liquidity planning, capital expenditure timelines, and succession discussions for thousands of owner-clients.
Financial planning as a stabiliser
Despite the pressure, the Dext data shows most SME leaders are not simply waiting out the storm. Three-quarters (75 per cent) say they engage in some form of financial planning and forecasting - a figure that may reflect both necessity and increased adviser engagement.
A quarter of respondents say they are developing multiple financial scenarios to plan for different outcomes, while another 24 per cent are regularly updating financial plans in response to new data or shifting conditions. Only nine per cent report doing no financial planning at all.
Still, the limits of planning are evident: just 54 per cent of those surveyed believe their business can absorb a sudden increase in costs caused by tariffs and inflation. That gap - between those who plan and those who feel genuinely protected - points to where adviser conversations may need to deepen.
"Behind every small business is someone who has invested their time, energy, and ambition into building something that matters," said Joanne Modugno, general manager of Dext North America. "Yet many are telling us they feel overwhelmed by uncertainty and circumstances beyond their control."
For advisors working with business-owner clients, the intersection of tariff exposure, cash flow risk, and long-term financial planning has become one of the most consequential planning conversations of the current cycle. Helping clients stress-test their financial plans against multiple tariff scenarios - and revisit growth timelines, reserve levels, and succession assumptions - may be among the most valuable services an adviser can offer right now.
The Dext survey was conducted by Censuswide between October 2 and October 6, 2026, among 250 Canadian SME owners and leaders.
