From a Canadian Small-Business Owner Who’s Had Enough of Tariffs on Mail Under $500
Dear President Trump,
I own and operate Sport Displays and RAZD Fundraising in Canada. We are a small business rooted in creativity, hard work and the dream of exporting unique products from Canada to the American market, the kind of cross-border trade that has long defined our two nations working together.
I write to you with a plea for help, because Canadian entrepreneurs like myself are being squeezed by new rules and tariffs that make it nearly impossible to ship even modest parcels (for example under US$500) from Canada into the United States without new, heavy burdens.
– Orders of US$100-300 used to ship easily to U.S. customers.
– Now, with pre-paid duties, tariffs, customs complexity and shipping cost increases, many of these orders become unviable.
– That means I’m either forced to raise prices (and lose competitiveness), absorb the cost (and strain my margins), or stop shipping to U.S. customers altogether.
The damage is real. The promise of “free trade” between Canada and the U.S., the promise of small business opportunity based on proximity, culture and shared consumers — that promise is being broken for small exporters like me.
Why I’m Reaching Out to You, Because Our Government Isn’t
It is deeply frustrating that I, as a Canadian, find myself writing to an American President, because our own government in Canada is incapable or unwilling to do the things required to protect its entrepreneurs, protect cross-border trade, or negotiate deals that benefit small businesses rather than simply big interests.
Here are five ways in which the Canadian federal government is falling short — hurting Canada, hurting small business, and failing to secure the interests of creators, exporters and innovators:
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Ballooning deficits and rising debt: Rather than demonstrate fiscal restraint or strategic priority-setting, the government continues to run large spending increases, leave large deficits and postpone tough decisions on current and future obligations.
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This means our taxes, our margins, and our ability to invest are under strain.
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Massive international assistance/outbound spending while domestic trade suffers: For example, in 2022-2023 the Government of Canada disbursed over $15.5 billion in international assistance, of which $11.8 billion was official development assistance abroad.
Meanwhile, Canadian small exporters are being hit with tariffs and trade obstacles with the U.S.
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It feels like our tax dollars are being sent abroad even as our domestic exporters are disadvantaged.
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Poor trade negotiation performance and failure to seal beneficial deals with the U.S.: Canada recently found itself in trouble with stalled trade talks and a deteriorating relationship with the U.S., leaving Canadian exporters exposed. For example, trade talks with the U.S. were described as being “very detailed… very comprehensive” just before being abruptly cut off.
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Our government risks leaving small business exporters behind while larger trade and diplomatic issues take centre stage.
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Protectionist and rigid domestic policies that limit flexibility for trade: The passage of legislation such as Bill C‑202 (which protects supply-managed industries like dairy, poultry and eggs by restricting the Canadian government’s ability to open those markets in trade negotiations) is seen by trade experts as a step backward.
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That means Canada handicaps its own negotiators, reducing Canadian small business opportunity in an export-oriented world.
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Lack of transparency, accountability, and prioritisation of small-business trade interests: There are critiques that the government’s oversight of foreign-aid and trade-spending programs is weak and that priorities for domestic trade policy are blurred.
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Meanwhile I’m left managing the consequences of broken cross-border shipping rules and rising tariffs without meaningful support or advocacy from our government.
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As a result, I find myself turning away from my own government, asking for help from the President of the United States. I do so because our economy is intertwined and our small business trade depends on a fair, seamless relationship between Canada and the U.S. But our own leadership appears to lack either the leverage or the will to prioritise this.
The Ask
Mr. President, on behalf of thousands of Canadian small business owners, I respectfully ask you to consider:
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Restoring or creating a de minimis duty-free threshold, for example US$500, for small parcels sent from Canada to the U.S. (especially via postal services) so that shipping small-value goods doesn’t become prohibitively expensive.
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Streamlining and clarifying the duty/pre-payment process for Canadian small exporters, reducing administrative burden and cost.
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Encouraging (or facilitating) bilateral dialogue between the U.S. and Canada that specifically includes small-business exporters and addresses the shipping/parcel/export segment — not just large corporations, but the makers, creators and innovators on the ground.
Why This Matters
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For American consumers: you continue to enjoy unique Canadian-made goods, innovation and creative trade.
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For Canadian entrepreneurs: we regain access and confidence in cross-border trade with our biggest neighbour.
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For both nations: small business trade strengthens the fabric of North American commerce, creates jobs and fosters mutual prosperity.
When small business suffers, creativity fails, opportunity shrinks—and that is bad for both sides of the border.
Thank you for taking the time to review our situation. I stand ready to provide more information about how these tariffs and shipping burdens impact my business, my customers and my fellow Canadian entrepreneurs.
With sincere thanks and best wishes for your continued leadership,
Oh and by the way if you ever need a Custom Branded Jersey Mount I would love to send you one! Check out www.thesportdisplays.com today
