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Ireland named 'ideal gateway' for North American businesses looking to escape US tariffs

As the relationship between the US and Canada has soured in the last year, Canadian business owners wanting to expand should consider Ireland instead

Ireland
Ireland may be a great place to expand for Canadian business owners(Image: Getty Images)

For Canadian business owners looking to expand operations globally, tariffs and rhetoric in the US may make it a risky choice. There’s another choice they may want to consider, and that’s Ireland.


IDA Ireland, the investment promotion agency that helps multinational companies grow and expand into Ireland, has called Ireland the “ideal gateway” for Canadian companies looking to expand in Europe. Not only is it a launchpad for further growth, but its skilled workforce and vast industry may make it an ideal choice for certain business owners.

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This comes as the relationship between the US and Canada has soured over President Donald Trump’s claims of making the country the “51st state.” Canada also received a 25% tariffs on certain goods from the Trump administration.

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Ireland may be a good choice going forward. The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024 ranked Ireland second in the world for business incentives, the IDA Ireland reported.

One of its strengths is talent. Eurostat records show 62.7% of people aged 25-34 holding a third-level qualification in 2023, which is the highest rate in the EU-27 countries. There is a variety of talent across multiple sectors as well.

Ireland and Canada
Ireland has a good relationship with Canada(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

People in Ireland have the freedom to move about the European Union, a benefit for Canadian companies looking to expand in the market. It also opens up the talent pool to 200 million people.

One Canada-based company already set up shop in the Emerald Isle. Element Fleet, the world’s largest pure-play automotive fleet manager, is based in Toronto, and the company announced a centralized leasing function located in Dublin, Ireland, in 2024.

Ireland
Ireland has a large talent pool(Image: Getty Images)
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CEO Laura Dottori-Attanasio called Ireland an “an ideal environment” at the time.

A cybersecurity company, eSentire, has operations in Cork. It works directly with its homebase in Ontario, taking advantage of the time zone difference to provide 24-hour support to customers.

For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here.

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