A new poll finds that Canadian businesses are feeling optimistic about the federal government\u2019s economic agenda.<\/p>\n
But one local entrepreneur isn\u2019t as confident, saying the next two-and-a-half years will continue to be a struggle while U.S. President Donald Trump is in power.<\/p>\n
A survey from Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG), which polled 359 business leaders online, found 51 per cent said their firm will be better off as a result of the federal government\u2019s economic measures over the next three years.<\/p>\n
However, their optimism is tempered by a desire for faster policy execution.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanadian businesses are cautiously optimistic,\u201d said Lachlan Wolfers, the Global Head of Indirect Taxes for KPMG. \u201cI think they\u2019re looking beyond the immediate tariff turmoil that we\u2019ve experienced for the last 18 months or so, and are now looking more to longer term measures.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE: StatCan reports Canada\u2019s economy expanded by 0.3% in May<\/a><\/p>\n Half of the businesses surveyed want the federal government to prioritize removing red tape.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to do business in Canada,\u201d said Ron Foxcroft, the owner of Fox 40 and Fluke Transportation. \u201cWe\u2019re paying 54 per cent tax, there\u2019s an awful lot of red tape, and right now, since January 2025, there\u2019s chaos and uncertainty and tariffs.\u201d<\/p>\n Foxcroft says Canadian businesses have to adjust their future plans almost daily, because of U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cWe used to have a five-year plan \u2014 now we have a five-hour plan, because the administration in the United States right now could wake up at three in the morning and change the rules,\u201d said Foxcroft.<\/p>\n The survey was taken before the U.S. threatened to implement 50 percent tariffs on a wide-range of Canadian goods beginning Aug. 19, but it still gives insight into how business leaders are thinking about the trade volatility.<\/p>\n