Tariffs have changed the question facing Québec businesses. It is no longer simply whether reducing dependence on the U.S. market would be useful, but how and when to build new sources of revenue. In this September 15, 2026 webinar, helloDarwin, Investissement Québec International and Salveo bring together funding, market-selection and international-execution perspectives.
Francis Desrochers, President and Co-founder of helloDarwin, moderates the discussion. Antoine Giroir contributes the funding-program perspective; Mélissa Prophète explains the support available through Investissement Québec International; and Laura Naville describes how Salveo helps companies validate, develop and establish themselves in new markets.
Diversification has become an operating priority
Commercial uncertainty can no longer be treated as temporary. Tariffs can directly affect sales, but they can also increase input costs, disrupt supply chains, reduce business opportunities and make it harder to remain competitive in the United States.
For many companies, waiting has given way to a more structural decision: assess their exposure, protect production capacity and develop revenue in other markets. Diversification may be international, pan-Canadian or sector-based. It must still reflect the company’s financial resources, people and tolerance for risk.
Market diversification should not begin with a rushed choice of country. The first step is to clarify where the business wants to be in one, three and five years, then determine which markets, partners and funding mechanisms can support that direction.
Choose the market before choosing the program
Investissement Québec International mainly supports businesses that already have some export experience and want to go further. Its services fall into three areas: understanding a market through business and sector intelligence; identifying opportunities, buyers and partners; and supporting an establishment, acquisition or office opening once the market has been validated.
Québec-based advisors work with economic attachés in Québec offices and delegations abroad. Together, they bring sector expertise, local knowledge and, when needed, institutional support to a company’s commercial approach.
Two similar companies should not automatically follow the same strategy. Market selection depends on team capacity, available resources, acceptable exposure and the business reason for investing in that market. A credible plan answers a demanding set of basic questions: who, what, where, how, how much and why?
Build a local presence without immediately opening a subsidiary
The employer-of-record model, or portage salarial, gives a company that has validated a market access to a local representative before it is ready to establish its own subsidiary. A local employment partner can employ that person and handle the administrative, tax, social and legal framework in the market.
This structure can serve as a step toward a full establishment or remain a longer-term option in a market where the company does not want to expose capital directly. It allows the company to test and develop sales with a real local presence. Depending on the project and program, related costs may sometimes be assessed as professional fees rather than payroll; eligibility must be confirmed case by case.
Combine two families of business support
The available mechanisms fall into two broad families. The first helps companies respond to tariff effects through liquidity, job retention, machinery, software, construction, productivity and the return of manufacturing capacity to Canada. The Regional Tariff Response Initiative is one example, with support for business pivots and a separate liquidity-assistance path.
Support can also include tools for larger projects, Québec loans such as FORCE and PAU-PME, and customs measures such as remission or drawback requests. A grant is not the only useful lever: a loan with a repayment moratorium, a customs mechanism or public advisory support may also strengthen the company’s room to act.
The second family directly supports commercialization and market diversification. PSCE, CanExport SMEs and AgriMarketing can support different expenses depending on the sector, target market and program calendar. Eligible expenses may include market studies, specialist hiring, advertising, trade shows, eligible travel and business-development services.
For more detail on these programs, review helloDarwin’s RTRI funding guide and its article on export grants and market diversification. Criteria, intake periods and eligible expenses can change, so verify current rules before committing project costs.
Open new markets with the right funding
Share your export or market-diversification project. We’ll help you identify grants and funding programs that may fit.
What distinguishes a strong application
For tariff-response programs, it is not enough to say that the commercial environment is difficult. The business must demonstrate a real direct or indirect impact and explain how its project responds. Lost revenue, cost pressure, job risk and production constraints should be connected to evidence and verifiable figures.
For export programs, the market plan is equally important. A stronger application identifies the priority market, intended buyers or partners, planned activities, budget, owners, expected results and the commercial rationale behind the choice. Funding can accelerate a strategy; it cannot replace market knowledge or execution.
Preparation should begin before a program opens. Companies should obtain the required quotes, plan activities over a full year and engage early with public advisors, funding specialists and international-development partners.
A five-step path to action
Measure the company’s exposure to tariffs, the United States and concentrated revenue or supply relationships.
Define the business project: the capacity to protect, investment to make or market to develop.
Select markets using evidence, internal capacity and a clear commercial rationale.
Match the project with the right mix of grants, loans, customs measures and in-market support.
Prepare evidence, quotes, budgets and partners before submitting an application.
Diversification is not simply a grant application or a trade-show visit. It depends on commercial direction, market knowledge and coordination between the company, the public-support ecosystem and partners working in the target market.
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