Indigenous businesses in N.S. adapt to tariff uncertainties

Lauren Ella Burke · CBC

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Two Indigenous concern operators successful Nova Scotia accidental they've had to marque adjustments to their concern practices to contend with the implications of U.S. tariffs.

Jason Hartung is the proprietor of Turtle Island Market, an e-commerce concern that sells integer art, canvas paintings, clothing and different items featuring Indigenous art.

He told CBC News that helium has stopped sourcing products from American suppliers owed to the uncertainty that has been impacting Canada-U.S. commercialized relations since President Donald Trump took bureau successful January and began threatening to enforce 25 per cent tariffs connected a big of Canadian goods.

"Being a tiny concern owner, I ne'er thought oregon imagined I would person to go an adept successful planetary affairs and … satellite economics," Hartung said successful an interview. "You got to support up to day with a batch of the laws and a batch of the issues."

Previously, Hartung said, helium had ever taken pridefulness successful being capable to accidental that helium was utilizing products from each crossed North America arsenic portion of his concern plan. 

"The full thought arsenic an Indigenous concern was Turtle Island," he said of the sanction immoderate Indigenous radical usage to notation to the continent. "It's not conscionable the 3 Indigenous groups successful Canada, I'm trying to instrumentality into relationship the Indigenous groups successful the United States arsenic well."

Hartung said helium supports the Buy Canadian movement that has steadily gained steam since the commercialized warfare triggered by Trump's tariff threats began. But helium said it has required him to bash sizeable probe connected who helium wants to bash concern with due to the fact that immoderate Canadian companies are inactive getting their products from the United States. 

"I cognize I'm not alone, there's tons of different tiny concern owners that are dealing with these issues," helium said. "I deliberation we request to thin much connected each other."   

International Mi'kmaw artist Leonard Paul has owned an creation selling company, Foxtrail Editions, since 1994. He agrees with Hartung that it's more important than ever to absorption connected section markets.

Paul said it's been getting harder for artists to marque a living, and immoderate artists person been feeling fiscal strain for a while.  

"The tariffs are causing a strain present for everyone," Paul said successful an interview. "It knows nary culture, radical and target. It's … anyone successful Canada."

As an artist, Paul said, helium has learned however to marque ends meet. He said the tariffs volition exacerbate the challenges of an already struggling sector.

"I had to bash a batch of reasoning and bash a batch of readjustments," helium said.

Paul said helium volition proceed to merchantability his creation done his website, arsenic good arsenic done section events and creation shows.