Trump tariff threats put a lot of fog ahead of Canadas small businesses – National [Video]

The threat of tariffs from the United States coming as early as Saturday is stirring concern among Canada’s small business community, particularly for firms who export goods outside the country.

Small businesses have largely lost confidence since November, the month when U.S. President Donald Trump won re-election, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

The small business advocacy group published its latest Business Barometer on Thursday, a survey of member organizations that offers a broad gauge of business confidence. The latest report captures feelings of more than 1,000 small businesses surveyed online between Jan. 7 and 14.

The CFIB said its indicator for business optimism had declined for a second month in a row, dropping the index down to 54.6 and marking a loss of five points since November.

The decline in confidence was particularly pronounced among exporting small businesses, who reported an 8.1 point drop over the past two …