How The Cannabis Industry Benefits Small-Town Canada

As Canada grapples with US tariffs and widespread layoffs, cannabis is emerging as an industry that could help smaller communities weather the storm.

US President Donald Trump has slapped Canada with sweeping levies, including a 25% tariff on automobiles and a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum. As a result, Canada lost 33,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate went up to 6.7 per cent from 6.6 per cent in February, according to Statistics Canada.

The cannabis industry, though, is largely domestic, which has allowed it to be one step removed from Trump’s tariffs, economist Jim Stanford told StratCann. “It’s worth investigating the potential of the (cannabis) industry as a stabilizing factor,” he said. “Non-traded sectors are going to play a more important role in the next few years.”

According to Cannabis Council of Canada President Paul McCarthy, the industry employs about 80,000 people, primarily in small and medium-sized towns where cultivation facilities are often located. A recent Statistics Canada report found the industry contributed at least $7.4 billion to Canada’s GDP in 2024 and more than $43 billion since legalization.

Read the full story at StratCann