Calgary Economic Development’s response to tariffs
Now, more than ever, we need to focus on diversifying our trade and our economy as part of Calgary Economic Development’s mandate to attract, expand and retain companies, capital and talent. This means opening new markets within Canada and abroad, and it means supporting local companies to help them scale – right here in Calgary.
Here is Calgary's resource list to support Canadian industries and local businesses.
Trade Missions
Expanding your business internationally, but not sure where to start? By participating in a trade mission, you will expand your network and gain a better understanding of the business culture, economy and support services available in your target market.
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Calgary Chamber
The Calgary Chamber is encouraging consumers to support Calgary businesses with an interactive map highlighting companies offering Canadian-made products or operating within Canada.
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Trade Accelerator Program
The Trade Accelerator Program has helped over 140 Calgary SMEs explore 17 global markets, plus over 60 Calgary companies have attended international missions in the first quarter of 2025.
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City of Calgary
Learn how the City of Calgary is actively managing the impacts of U.S. tariffs and working with industry partners, exploring alternative suppliers, and supporting local businesses to help mitigate the effects of these global trade challenges.
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Shop Canadian Apps
Find locally made products and Canadian-owned businesses that contribute to our economy and community.
Read about the actions Calgary Economic Development is taking
Attraction
As part of our mandate, CED is working to attract companies from around the world. We have been building relationships across sectors and across countries.
- Countries and sectors we are focused on:
- South Korea: focused on Life Sciences and Energy
- Australia: focused on Agribusiness
- Taiwan and Singapore: focused on cross-sectoral opportunities and FDI
- London and Paris: focused on enterprise technology and Aerospace
- Recent investments from outside the U.S. include:
- Bore Da Biotech – South Korea
- Veripark – United Kingdom
- WealthSimple – Canada
- Northern RNA – Canada
- Metlen Energy – Greece
Scaling
At the same time, we are supporting local companies to scale and open new markets through the Trade Accelerator Program (TAP).
- TAP has grown into a cornerstone of Alberta’s global trade strategy, celebrating its 40th cohort in February 2025.
- The program has now graduated 518 alumni provincewide, with more than 170 trade deals recorded.
- In 2024, TAP generated 42 trade deals — amounting to over $11 million in revenue — with almost two-thirds sending Alberta products beyond North America, underscoring the program’s global impact.
- In 2024, 66 per cent of TAP participants came from underrepresented groups, including women entrepreneurs, newcomers to Canada and rural business owners.
Double-down on trade
With the threat of tariffs, CED is doubling down on trade.
- CED has streamlined our operations with a larger focus on trade and investment attraction that will provide a better and more efficient experience for companies. We have increased resources for attraction and expansion opportunities to ensure we are supporting companies across the business development spectrum. This new structure includes:
- A team focused on foreign direct investment (FDI), tasked with going out to international markets to identify and close leads across our key sectors.
- A team focused on investor experience and trade, tasked with supporting companies once they arrive in Calgary (if expanded into Calgary) and supporting companies expand globally (if expanding outside Calgary).
- We are strategically expanding our markets. We choose which markets to enter based on the following criteria:
- We have an existing trade relationship
- The mission is a gateway to another market
- The market aligns with CED’s key sectors
- Calgary has already engaged local partners and support services in the market (e.g. Canadian Embassy, local economic development agencies, Government of Alberta, Trade Commissioner Service and associations like IATA, CABC)
- Companies in TAP and/or other clients have expressed interest in exporting to these countries
- Market Entry Diversification: International Financial Institutions
- CED is hosting IFI Business Opportunities Seminars, highlighting opportunities in the energy and environment sector across the Asia-Pacific region.
- We are collaborating with representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank.
- Additionally, we work with our partners and local businesses to facilitate B2B meetings with representatives from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and IFI Trade Commissioners from Washington, D.C., and Manila, Philippines.
- The support CED is providing will help businesses understand and participate in the IFI’s unique procurement process, align to the IFI’s strategic priorities, and provide practical guidance on bidding for international development projects.
- We have just begun this work and there will be more opportunities for Alberta companies to engage in new international markets and compete for opportunities to share Albertan expertise with significant development projects around the world.
- 2025 trade missions include:
- Mobile World Congress – Spain
- Arab Health – Dubai, UAE
- Foodex Japan – Japan
- Hannover Messe – Germany
- Ireland Trade Mission – Ireland
- Asia Tech x Singapore – Singapore
- Vivatech – Paris
- Paris Air Show – Paris
- Birmingham Tech Week - United Kingdom