2025 was a stressful and tumultuous period for virtually every business in North America. Whether it was new trade regulations or the stricter focus on enforcement at Customs, no one can deny that this year has been a serious brake check for businesses of all sizes and shapes. Through it all, however, what has become abundantly clear is that luck continues to favor the prepared, and those who have best learned from the past while accurately working to brace for the challenges of the future are the ones most likely to weather the coming storms of international trade. 

In this post, we are going to look back at what we learned in 2025 to see how we can best apply those lessons to the year to come. 2025 may have been the wild west, but it’s already starting to look like 2026 will be based entirely around how businesses today decide to settle it. 

The News of the Day

The future is difficult to predict at the best of times, especially after a year like 2025, but that shouldn’t suggest that there aren’t indications of what we might see coming up in the world of international trade. There are several large-scale developments happening right now that could be signposts of the kind of trade environment we are heading into. For example - 

The Trade Compliance Verification Priority List

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has just released its Trade Compliance Verification Priority List for January. If you are unfamiliar, the CBSA releases this list twice a year, and it indicates what they are most closely eyeing for verification in the coming year. Admittedly, something that happens twice a year, every year, may not seem like a great indicator of what to expect specifically for 2026, but there is something unique about this particular release.

Typically, this verification list is populated with goods subdivided by what element of a declaration the CBSA is concerned about. For example, it could be the valuation of fridge-freezers or the classification of wooden rocking chairs, but this year the list includes surtaxes. This is the CBSA’s way of telegraphing that the accurate and correct declaration of Canadian surtaxes is among their highest priorities in the coming year. 

What this means for most importers is that the list’s contents now reach significantly more businesses than the usual makers of rocking chairs and fridge-freezers, potentially including yours. It also speaks to the ongoing trend of enforcement escalation at Customs that we have seen on both sides of the border this past year. One of the key takeaways for 2026 was that international trade is only getting more complicated, and ‘getting it right’ at the compliance level has never been more important.  

The best course of action you can take with this in mind is to consider a Sample Audit from one of our Trade Advisory Specialists. Not only will they help you determine if your goods are on the list, but they can also ensure that you are hitting the mark for compliance for those goods. 

USMCA/CUSMA/T-MEC is Up for Renegotiation

Regardless of where you are operating in North America, the US/Canada/Mexico Agreement (USMCA/CUSMA/T-MEC) is likely a significant part of your international trade strategy. That agreement is up for renegotiation this year. There are a few knock-on effects to watch for with this, the most obvious being that the agreement could shift dramatically or even cease to exist. The outcome of the negotiation could reshape the nature of free trade in North America - and your business needs to be prepared for that. 

What can you do? Well, diversity and agility are your two best friends heading into 2026, and that is going to mean working with experts who know how to roll with the punches. PCB’s Free Trade Agreement Review and Supply Chain Audit services have both been incredibly helpful to many importers this past year. Not only do they help ensure you are getting the most out of what you are actively benefiting from, but our team also looks beyond your current agreements and supply chain to offer expert-led alternatives and new opportunities you may be eager to take advantage of in the face of a very different trade environment. 

If you are looking to insulate yourself from the disruption that is almost certainly coming from the USMCA/CUSMA/T-MEC negotiations, there is no better way to do so than to get in touch with our Trade Advisory Team today. 

Good Practices for the Year Ahead

Have you decided on your New Year's resolution yet? If you are still struggling, you should know that there are many excellent ways to thrive in 2026. Whether it’s staying informed or upping your game - with a little effort, 2026 could be the year you take your international trade to the next level.   

Do Your Best to Keep Up 

As the above suggests, keeping your finger on the pulse of the latest news will be vital in 2026. The world of trade moves quickly, and you need to have the mechanisms in place to keep abreast of the latest in your industry as they happen. New regulations can turn around with surprising speed, and if you aren’t aware of them early, then you can be left holding a potentially expensive bag. 

Whether it’s watching the news every night at 6:00, following key influencers on social media, or just keeping an eye on the PCB Tariff Resource Center, subscribing to our Trading Post Newsletter, or keeping up with the US and Canadian Regulation Update pages for the latest as it happens, knowing has always been half the battle, and 2026 is going to be no different. 

New Year, New You

2026 should be the year you dedicate to improving your importing game. Education is going to go a long way for importers this year because the better you know the world of international trade, the better equipped you will be should it decide to buck and roil. Whether it’s downloading guides to help you finally understand CARM or registering for one of our upcoming webinars, or just working more closely with your broker to ensure that your compliance is nailed down, the growth of your intellectual assets will be time well spent in 2026.

By the same token, 2025 taught us that many importers have not analyzed their processes recently - especially in the world of logistics. This is a golden opportunity to check your Incoterms®, bolster your supply chain, and fine-tune your logistical processes. The only way to brace for whatever this next year has in store for you is with a keen awareness of your current situation, so be sure to take a moment to look under the hood of your international trade practices, or get in touch with our team and have us do it for you.  

Caution and Preparedness - How to Thrive In 2026

In preparation for the new year, we asked our industry experts on both sides of the border what they would recommend for importers heading into 2026. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the prevailing stance was uncertainty. There’s no way to know what is going to happen, but there is a way to know when it happens. 

Staying abreast of the latest news in trade as it happens is going to be vital for surviving and thriving in 2026, and the best way to do that is by subscribing to The Trading Post newsletter. It delivers the latest news, regulations updates, webinars, and, of course, blog posts directly to your inbox, so you’re never out of the know. Sign up today, and head into 2026 with all the tools you’ll need to make it a ringing success.