Ag sector pushing for CUSMA renewal: outcome could ‘have huge impacts for our sector,’ says Babcock of Canadian Cattle Association
Canada’s agriculture minister featured among the top three most-lobbied cabinet ministers in the first quarter of 2026 as sector representatives emphasized the importance of protecting supply chains during this summer’s review of North America’s trade pact in the face of a “hot and cold” White House.
The much-anticipated review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)—the deal that covers roughly $1.3-trillion in annual Canada-U.Sƒ. trade in goods and services—is coming up July 1.
Jennifer Babcock, chief government and international affairs officer for the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA), told The Hill Times that nearly all her organization’s communications with Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald (Malpeque, P.E.I.) so far this year have included an emphasis on the importance of a positive bilateral trade relationship when it comes to the agriculture sector. Babcock said “we get nervous” thinking about the worst-case outcome of the CUSMA review, which would be the loss of tariff-free access between Canada and the U.S.
“I want to say it's business as usual, but with an uncertainty, because we are really just gearing up for the CUSMA review,” said Babcock. “That could, depending how it goes, have huge impacts for our sector.”
CCA representatives communicated with MacDonald on seven occasions between January and the end of April this year, including on March 23 and on April 27. Overall, MacDonald was listed in 72 communications reports in that time frame, putting the agriculture minister third behind Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson (Markham-Thornhill, Ont.), who is listed in 77 reports over the same period; and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly (Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Que.), who appeared in 106, based on a search of the federal lobbyists’ registry on June 3.
Babcock said CCA representatives regularly visit the U.S. for producer-to-producer meetings attempting to maintain a positive relationship between the two countries. Approximately 50 per cent of live cattle and beef produced in Canada is exported, and of those exports, 75 per cent of go to the U.S., according to Babcock.
“We are partners in this, so if we all of a sudden don't have an agreement, it would be huge for our industry,” she said. “For our sector, it's a positive trading relationship, and sometimes in the media you hear about [trade] irritants … and it's really important that we're getting the positive message on Canada-U.S. trade. The cattle industry is a perfect example of how integrated and how we're working together, so it's important that [MacDonald is] able to carry that positive message forward.”
The CCA is represented on the federal lobbyists’ registry in-house by CEO Andrea Brocklebank, as well as by board of directors members including Leigh Rosengren, Tyler Fulton, and Ryan Beierbach.
During the first quarter of 2026, the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) communicated with MacDonald on Jan. 20 and on Feb. 23.
The GGC is among the more than 160 agricultural organizations from across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico that signed a letter on June 2 calling for the “renewal and strengthening” of CUSMA.
Representatives of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA)—another group that signed the letter—visited Washington, D.C., between June 2 and June 4 to meet with U.S. congressional committee members and other federal officials. The goal of the meetings was to reinforce the letter's call to protect CUSMA's rules-based framework, according to a CAFTA press release.
Michael Harvey, executive director of the CAFTA, told The Hill Times that he considers the letter's importance to be its signatories being from all three CUSMA member nations.
“[The letter] shows that U.S. agriculture is strongly supportive of CUSMA, and that's important because U.S. agriculture often comes from states that have supported the president,” said Harvey.
“I think where we can really bring value to the table is this relationship we have with our U.S. counterparts, because they're doing the lobbying in the United States, which is really the administration that needs to understand how important the agreement is.”
When it comes to CUSMA, Harvey said Canada’s government understands the deal's importance, but the U.S. government is a “little bit less clear.”
“If you hear the U.S. administration speaking, they're a little bit more hot and cold. They see the importance of the agreement, but they've got more irritants that they'd like to discuss,” he said. “The U.S. business sector understands completely the importance of the agreement, but the administration can be a little bit more difficult.”
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc (Beauséjour, N.B.) traveled to Washington, D.C., on June 2 along with Canada's chief negotiator Janice Charette to meet U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. In a letter to his U.S. and Mexican counterparts on June 2, LeBlanc wrote that Canada “recommends renewal” of the agreement for the next 16 years.
“This agreement is highly beneficial to each of our countries and to the integrated North American economy,” wrote LeBlanc in the letter, adding, “The growth and success brought forward by our historic trilateral trade agreement is why I am confirming that Canada recommends renewal of the agreement for another 16 years.”
In contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump has floated the idea of walking away from CUSMA, including a statement back in January that it wouldn’t matter to him if the deal were to expire. This past April, Greer said he expected CUSMA negotiations to result in “two separate protocols” with Canada and Mexico layered on top of the existing agreement, and that negotiations would continue after July 1.
In the trilateral letter, CAFTA and the other agricultural groups argue that CUSMA is key to “maintaining a competitive global advantage that reduces reliance on distant supply chains,” adding that the deal has tripled the value of agri-food trade between the three countries between 2005 and 2023, totalling $285-billion.
GGC is represented on the registry in-house by policy manager Kate Sauser, and by consultant Tyler Bjornson of T. Bornson & Associates.
The CAFTA is represented on the registry in-house by Harvey.
The Hill Times
Most-lobbied cabinet ministers (January-April 2026)
| Title | Cabinet minister | Communication reports |
| Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions | Mélanie Joly | 106 |
| Minister of Energy and Natural Resources | Tim Hodgson | 77 |
| Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food | Heath MacDonald | 72 |
| Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons | Steven MacKinnon | 68 |
| President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian Economy | Dominic LeBlanc | 62 |
| Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages | Marc Miller | 54 |
| Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature | Julie Dabrusin | 53 |
| Minister of Health | Marjorie Michel | 47 |
| Prime Minister | Mark Carney | 42 |
| Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada | Gregor Robertson | 39 |
The above table shows the federal cabinet ministers who are listed in the most communication reports for federal lobbying between January and the end of April 2026. Based on a search of the federal lobbyists’ registry on June 3.
Most popular lobbying subjects (January to April)
| Subject Matter | January | February | March | April | Total |
| Economic Development | 876 | 1,654 | 1,673 | 1,828 | 6,031 |
| Industry | 644 | 1,256 | 1,292 | 1,306 | 4,498 |
| Environment | 593 | 1,222 | 1,093 | 1,203 | 4,111 |
| International Trade | 554 | 1,073 | 980 | 1,027 | 3,634 |
| Taxation and Finance | 449 | 1,028 | 1,016 | 1,116 | 3,609 |
| Infrastructure | 514 | 926 | 867 | 1,019 | 3,326 |
| Budget | 428 | 978 | 892 | 1,000 | 3298 |
| Science and Technology | 429 | 837 | 901 | 888 | 3,055 |
| Energy | 435 | 845 | 882 | 888 | 3,050 |
| Climate | 367 | 833 | 755 | 695 | 2,650 |
The above table shows the most popularly-listed subjects for discussion in communication reports for federal lobbying between January and the end of April 2026. Based on a search of the federal lobbyists’ registry in June 4.