CED Quebec — Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI)
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- Money you have already spent can still count, up to 12 months back. Only 14 put a window on it.
- Scored mainly on what it puts back into the local economy. 19 lead with that.
- Asks 18 written answers. The median programme we have read asks 5.
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Who actually receives this funding
5 businesses received this funding in 2025 — 204 awards since 2025. Typical award: $625K. Half of all awards fall between $392.5K and $990K. The advertised maximum is $3M — most awards land closer to $625K. 99% of recipients are for-profit businesses. Top provinces: Quebec 100%. Covers: CED-Quebec Regional Tariff Response Initiative contributions to Quebec manufacturers affected by US tariffs. Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure data · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · Data through Q3 2026.
The typical CED Quebec award is $625K — the median of 204 awards since 2025, even though the program advertises up to $3M. In 2025, 5 businesses were funded; 99% were for-profit companies.
Named recipients
Recent recipients include Industrie Billette inc. (Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, QC, 2026), 9500-0527 Québec inc. - Nexrun automatisation (Drummondville, QC, 2026) and Concept Store fixtures international Inc. (Repentigny, QC, 2026).
- 2026Industrie Billette inc.
- 20269500-0527 Québec inc. - Nexrun automatisation
- 2026Concept Store fixtures international Inc.
- 2026Torrington Machines de Déformation inc.
- 2026Groupe Lignarex inc.
- 2026Alfa Mega Inc
- 2026AGT Robotique inc.
- 2026Rousseau Métal inc.
- 2026PAD Peripheral Advanced Design Inc.
- 2026Apex Précision inc.
Show 30 more recipients
- 2026RP Évolution inc.
- 2026Cuisine Idéale Sherbrooke inc.
- 2026Commerce International Québec
- 2026Cuisines MRS inc.
- 2026Hydro Coupe CRC Ltée
- 2026Lauzon Bois Énergétique Recyclé inc.
- 2026Les Produits Arc-fil ltée
- 2026Ressorts Liberté inc.
- 2026Maxi-Therm Inc.
- 2026Montel inc.
- 2026Clermond Hamel ltée
- 2026Few-cycle Inc.
- 2026Groupe Link Pack inc.
- 2026Interbois inc.
- 2026J.A. Roby inc.
- 2026Les Industries G.R.C. inc.
- 2026Produits Matra inc.
- 2026Boisaco inc.
- 2026Métal 7 Inc.
- 2026Meubles BDM + Inc.
- 2026Avior Integrated Products inc.
- 2026Métal Marquis inc.
- 2026TASK Micro-electronics inc.
- 20269411-8296 Québec inc. - Alu MC3
- 20269416-2732 Québec Inc. - Garde-Malade
- 2026Industries Machinex inc.
- 2026LEM Technologies inc.
- 2026Les solutions Doorspec inc.
- 2026Precimoule inc.
- 2026Rayonnage Camrack inc.
Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure
RTRI mostly pays for equipment
93% of 191 awards to businesses since April 2023 went to buying equipment or machinery, and 4% to building or expanding a facility.
Where the money went share of 191 awards
Buying equipment or machinery93% 178
Projects of this kind typically received $728K since April 2023.
- Building or expanding a facility4% 8
- Other project types 3%marketing and sales, adopting existing technology, building software or a digital product and more
Rare here: building software or a digital product (<1%) and marketing and sales (1%). Almost none of these projects created something new; most bought or expanded something that already exists.
Real projects funded in the government’s own words
Buying equipment or machinery
- Acquisition of equipment: The project aims to increase the productivity and production capacity of a company specializing in the processing of seafood products.
- Acquisition of equipment: The project aims to improve the productivity and production capacity of a company specializing in manufacturing steel structures.
Building or expanding a facility
- Upgrading of facilities: The project aims to increase the productivity and production capacity of a company specializing in secondary wood processing.
Where in a company’s journey it pays
Most staged projects here were at the grow what works stage (97%).
- 0%Explore an idea
- <1%Build something new
- 0%Test and prove it
- 0%Launch it
- 97%Grow what works
The other 2% were not staged projects (hiring, advice, events) or did not say.
More about these projects
New, or more of what already works?
- 97%Leaves a physical asset behind
- 0%Aimed at markets outside Canada
- 0%Claims an environmental benefit
How we know: we read the government’s published description of each award; an AI classifier sorted them, and we hand-checked a sample (92% correct). Individual awards can be misfiled, so read the shares as approximate. 17 more awards had descriptions too vague to sort and are left out. Federal disclosure lists awards above $25,000 only. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Non-repayable support from CED for Quebec businesses affected by U.S. tariffs and Canadian countermeasures, across all sectors. Since the September 2026 expansion CED funds liquidity assistance (up to $2 million non-repayable, up to 50% of eligible costs, based mainly on 50% of average monthly payroll for up to 12 months) and pivot projects (up to $1 million non-repayable for projects with local or regional economic benefits, up to 50% of eligible costs; interest-free repayable funding of up to 75% of costs for pivot projects over $1 million). A business can combine liquidity and a non-repayable pivot project for up to $3 million non-repayable; total RTRI funding is capped at $20 million. Pivot projects cover productivity, equipment and automation, market diversification and supply chain resilience. CED has already disbursed over $12M to 19 projects in the Mauricie, Lanaudiere, and Centre-du-Quebec regions alone.
Eligibility Requirements
- Incorporated for-profit business (any sector) located and operating in Quebec
- Minimum of $1 million in annual revenue in at least one of the last two fiscal years
- No minimum years in business and no employee cap are published on CED's current RTRI page
- Was a viable business before March 21, 2025 (attestation, financial information and operating history; businesses established later may be considered case by case)
- Be adversely affected by ongoing trade disruptions: a Section 232 or 338 tariff-impacted sector (including supply chain partners to exporters), at least 25% of revenue from goods ultimately exported to the U.S., or significant tariff-driven cost increases, supply chain disruption or lost revenue or customers
- CED gives priority to processing applications from Quebec businesses impacted by tariffs
- Minimum assistance amounts are not published on CED's current RTRI page
- Pivot projects must be new, additional, incremental and measurable; non-repayable pivot funding (up to $1 million) requires broader economic benefits
- Liquidity applicants must show a quantified need from cash flow projections and commit to maintaining operations and employment in Canada
- Non-repayable funding is capped at $3 million per business in combination ($2 million liquidity plus $1 million pivot project); previous RTRI recipients may be eligible for liquidity support if costs are not already funded by an existing agreement. Not-for-profits that support businesses can get project funding but not liquidity support.
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $3,000,000 non-repayable ($2,000,000 liquidity assistance plus $1,000,000 pivot project, each up to 50% of eligible costs); pivot projects over $1,000,000 are interest-free repayable (up to 75% of costs); $20,000,000 total cap
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 50% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Ongoing - applications processed until the budget allocation is fully utilised
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
Moderate competition — prepare a strong application
Moderate — standard requirements
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipDecide what you need: liquidity assistance (payroll records, a quantified cash flow need, a commitment to keep jobs and operations in Canada), a pivot project, or both at once.
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How RTRI judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents on canada.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-04.
6 of the sources
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What RTRI favours
Investment bringing significant, lasting change beyond incremental improvement◦
“A structuring project is defined as an investment that results in a significant, lasting and measurable change in the company's operations, beyond a one-time or incremental improvement.”
The form
Eligibility
- 1Manufacturing SME under 500 employeesyes/no + written
Be a manufacturing SME with fewer than 500 employees.
- 2Located and operating in Quebecyes/no + written
Be located and operate in Quebec.
- 3Demonstrated adverse impact of the economic contextwritten answer
- 4A structuring projectwritten answer
- 5Three years in businessyes/no + written
- 6Two million dollars of revenue in the last completed fiscal yearyes/no + written
- 7Viability before the tariffswritten answer
Prepare your documentation
- 8Brief description of the business or organizationwritten answer
- 9Number of employees, managers, and shareholdersshort answer
- 10Your products/services and business modelwritten answer
- 11Your markets, current and target customerswritten answer
- 12Your tangible competitive advantageswritten answer
- 13Your financial situationwritten answer
- 14Brief description of the projectwritten answer
- 15Objectives and planned activitieswritten answer
- 16Total cost and financing of your projecttable
- 17Project start and end datesshort answer
- 18Expected benefitswritten answer
Submit your application
- 19Corporate and organizational structurelist
- 20A detailed description of your projectwritten answer
- 21Financial statementsspreadsheet
- 22Excel file detailing project costs and financingspreadsheet
- 23Disclosure of costs already incurredyes/no + written
- 24The RTRI application form itselfwritten answer
RTRI states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Is the change significant, lasting and measurable?
Show them Describe the before-and-after in the company's operations and give the measurable target — units per hour, scrap rate, lead time, share of revenue outside the United States — that proves it lasts.◦
In the funder’s words · 1
- The structuring nature of the project, meaning that it results in a significant and lasting change in the company's operations, beyond a marginal improvement, and aims to enhance its competitiveness or support market diversification in order to reduce vulnerabilities arising from the uncertain economic environment.
- 2
How hard did tariffs hit this business?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 3
Does this business matter to the region?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 4
Is the plan costed, funded and quick to deliver?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
Where applicants fail
“Any application that does not meet the above eligibility criteria will be automatically rejected.”
“Projects that are limited primarily to the replacement of similar equipment, performing routine facility maintenance, making marginal capacity increases or implementing standard improvements without a significant impact on the company's competitiveness, resilience or diversification would generally be considered less structuring.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 7 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
4 more rules that can reject you · 5 more criteria · 12 more prompts
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
Your business
Manufacturing SME under 500 employees
Be a manufacturing SME with fewer than 500 employees.
Located and operating in Quebec
Be located and operate in Quebec.
Adversely impacted, demonstrated concretely
Be adversely impacted by the economic context (loss of revenue, rising costs, reduced profitability) and be able to demonstrate this in concrete terms.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Minimum assistance$100,000 minimum
The minimum amount of assistance is $100,000.
Maximum non-repayableup to $1 million non-repayable
up to $1 million non-repayable for structuring investment projects aimed at boosting productivity and diversifying markets
Maximum for diversificationup to $300,000 non-repayable
up to $300,000 non-repayable for projects aimed solely at market diversification
Repayable over $1 millionrepayable over $1 million
repayable contribution of over $1 million for major structuring investment projects
Repayable rate75% for repayable contributions
The maximum assistance rate is 75% for projects receiving a repayable contribution.
Your share50% for non-repayable contributions
The maximum assistance rate is 50% for projects receiving a non-repayable contribution.
StackingNo total cap; non-repayable once only
CED publishes no maximum on total government assistance for RTRI. What it does publish are two exclusivity rules: 'A business may only receive non-repayable funding under the IRRT scheme once' and 'A business may not combine non-repayable funding with repayable funding for the same project.' S2's financing table requires other federal, provincial and municipal government assistance to be named and quantified.
Costs before approvalUp to 12 months before signed application
Costs may be eligible retroactively for up to 12 months prior to receipt of the signed application, which must be submitted no earlier than 21 March 2025. The need for financial assistance must be justified for these costs.
What it pays for · 5
- Costs that are essential to the project and directly related to the activities listed above.
- The acquisition of equipment, digitization, automation, and the acquisition or adaptation of technologies to improve productivity and competitiveness.
- Implementing market diversification strategies, including market diagnosis, development and expansion activities (such as participation in trade missions and prospecting visits), to find new customers and reduce vulnerability to tariffs.
- Establishing strategic partnerships, optimizing supply chains, and complying with standards to access markets or increase sales.
- A technology showcase and demonstration.
What it does not pay for · 7
- All costs that are not essential and not directly related to the project
- Debt refinancing
- The purchase of assets at a price that exceeds fair market value
- Amortization costs
- Goodwill
- The purchase of land
- Their fees cannot be reimbursed with the financial assistance from CED.
From application to money
- Talk to your regional advisorContact your regional CED office
- Send the pre-application packBring business, project and budget details
- Complete the application formComplete form and provide documents
- CED decidesCED decides per service standards
- Sign the agreementSign agreement on favourable decision
In the funder’s words · 5
- Talk to your regional advisor
- The first step is contacting the team at your regional CED business office, who determine whether your project is eligible, answer your questions and guide the next steps.
- Send the pre-application pack
- Bring the business description, markets, competitive advantages, financial situation, project, budget, schedule and expected benefits to that conversation.
- Complete the application form
- If the advisor deems the project eligible, the form is sent to you, along with the list of additional documents to provide.
- CED decides
- Upon receipt of all documentation, CED renders a decision in accordance with its service standards.
- Sign the agreement
- On a favourable decision CED sends an agreement to sign and explains the steps for submitting your claims.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win RTRI
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 8-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 8-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 4-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 8
Eligible Expenses 7
Ineligible Expenses 7
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskHow RTRI Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CED Quebec — Regional Tariff Response... | Up to $3,000,000 | Moderate | Reimbursement | Ongoing - applications... |
| NRC IRAP Clean Technology Program | $100,000–$500,000 | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing |
| Quebec R&D Tax Credit (CRIC — Researc... | 20-30% tax credit (CRIC) | Hard | Tax Credit Offset | Ongoing |
| Investissement Québec — Project Finan... | Varies | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing |
| Canada Economic Development for Quebe... | Varies | Moderate | Reimbursement | Ongoing |
Related Programs
Other programs you might be eligible for
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about RTRI