The Best Canadian Stocks to Own During a Trade War

Trade wars can hit Canadian stocks in a very specific way. Canada sits right beside the world’s biggest consumer market, but it also depends on cross-border supply chains that run on tight margins and tighter timelines. When tariffs appear, input costs can jump, delivery schedules can wobble, and customers can delay big orders until the rules feel clearer.

The market usually reacts fast, even when businesses can eventually pass costs along. If you’re an investor trying to position a Canadian portfolio for a rougher trade environment, the best trade-war stocks tend to be the ones that either benefit from industrial re-shoring and defence spending, or have the scale and pricing power to absorb turbulence. So let’s consider a few.

Magna International: A Canadian Auto Parts Giant Built for Tariff Turbulence

Magna International (TSX: MG) builds auto parts and systems for major carmakers, touching everything from vision systems to body structures and seating. If tariffs come back, it can sting in the short term, but it can also make Magna more valuable, because automakers lean on suppliers that can localize production, manage complexity, and keep programs running. Over the last year, Magna has been navigating a messy auto world and has talked openly about tariff costs and efforts to recover them from customers.

In Q4 2025, Magna posted sales of $10.8 billion, up 2% year over year, and lifted adjusted EBIT to $814 million from $689 million, while adjusted diluted EPS rose to $2.18 from $1.69. Full-year 2025 sales were $42.0 billion, and it generated $1.91 billion in free cash flow for the year, giving it room to invest, pay dividends, and buy back shares.

For an investor building defensively, Magna’s valuation has looked more interesting than it has in a while — the current P/E ratio is right around 20. Magna’s dividend yields near 3.5% today.

CCL Industries: The Quiet Compounder That Wins Even When Trade Routes Shift

CCL Industries (TSX: CCL.B) makes labels, packaging, and specialty materials used in consumer goods, health care, and industrial markets. Even when trade rules shift, companies still need compliance labels, tamper evidence, shipping identifiers, and packaging that works across new routes and regulations. Over the last year, the investing story at CCL has been less about demand and more about margin discipline, as investors have start watching costs and pass-through ability more closely.

In Q4 2025, CCL reported sales of $1.88 billion, up 3.5% year over year, with net earnings of $171.1 million versus $179.8 million the year before. Basic EPS was $0.99, while adjusted basic EPS was $1.03 versus $1.02 — the core business held up even as the headline profit dipped.

For a patient investor looking for a steady compounder with pricing power, CCL’s P/E seems reasonable at 19. The stock yields 1.6%.

CAE Stock: A Defence and Aviation Training Play for an Uncertain World

CAE (TSX: CAE) fits our trade-war theme because governments don’t usually respond to rising tension by buying fewer simulators. They tend to do the opposite. CAE makes flight simulators and training services for civil aviation and defence, and it benefits when airlines need efficient training and when militaries ramp readiness. Over the last year, its story has felt like a steady rebuild, with aviation normalizing and defence demand staying sticky.

In fiscal Q3 2026, CAE reported revenue of $1.25 billion, up from $1.22 billion a year earlier. Reported EPS was $0.34 compared to $0.53 last year, but adjusted EPS rose to $0.34 from $0.29, suggesting underlying earnings power improved even as reported results reflected other moving pieces.

For a defence-minded investor comfortable paying a premium (P/E of 31) for a franchise with a structural tailwind, CAE fits the bill.

Bottom line

If trade wars make a comeback, you don’t want to own Canadian stocks that need a perfectly smooth world to hit their targets. Magna gives you a supply-chain heavyweight that can generate real free cash flow even with tariff noise. CCL gives you a quiet enabler of global commerce with pricing power and compliance-driven demand. CAE gives you a defence-adjacent training business that benefits when readiness becomes a bigger priority. None are immune to volatility, but each has a built-in reason to matter more, not less, when the world gets more complicated.

The post The Best Canadian Stocks to Own During a Trade War appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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More reading

• A Deeply Undervalued TSX Stock Down 17.5% Worth Holding Long Term
• 3 Top-Tier Canadian Stocks That Just Bumped Up Dividends Again
• 3 Defence Industry Stocks That Investors Shouldn’t Sleep On
• 3 Canadian Stocks That Could Thrive if the Loonie Weakens
• These 3 TSX Stocks Have Delivered More Than 30 Years of Dividend Growth

Fool contributor Amy Legate-Wolfe has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends CCL Industries and Magna International. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.