08:23 AM EDT, 03/26/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Next Wednesday's United States reciprocal tariffs are looming and nearly half of Canada's small businesses (47%) say they don't consider the U.S. a reliable trading partner, according to new survey data by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

According to CFIB's survey published on Wednesday, key highlights are:

-- A third (32%) of business owners have already shifted to suppliers/markets within Canada, 27% plan to increase their investment in Canada, while a third (33%) intend to reduce efforts in the U.S. over the next six months.

-- While 70% of small firms support Canada's retaliatory tariffs, nearly nine in 10 are struggling with business planning.

-- 30% are unsure about their CUSMA compliance, and nearly a third of exporters use the de minimis rule to export goods to the U.S.

With small business optimism at historically low levels and the Canadian federal election underway, CFIB is calling on all political parties to include small business policies in their platforms.