Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada among most active lobbying in June, focused on CUSMA: ‘U.S. administration right now is a little unpredictable’
Canada’s strained trade relationship with the United States was among the major advocacy issues at the federal level in June with the domestic fruit and vegetables sector holding out hope for a renewal of North America’s trilateral free trade pact, despite the deal’s future left in doubt by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“[The Canada-United States-Mexico-Agreement] still exists. We are advocating … that the CUSMA agreement be renewed. As to what that will look like, my guess is as good as yours,” said Erik Nielsen, director of government relations with the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC). “The U.S. administration right now is a little unpredictable.”
The FVGC was among the most active organizations back in June for advocacy, filing 20 communication reports with the federal lobbyists’ registry for that month. On the issue of trade competitiveness, the FVGC wanted to stress to Ottawa that Canadian produce is “highly exposed” and vulnerable to trade disruptions, border delays and international market access, according to Nielsen.
Many of Canada’s trade-dependent sectors were holding their breath in June leading up to the mandatory review of CUSMA, the deal that covers roughly $1.3-trillion in annual Canada-U.S. trade in goods and services.
On July 1, the Trump administration declined to renew the deal for another 16-year term. The deal is not dead, and will continue to be active for another 10 years, with rolling annual reviews.
The FVGC is pushing for CUSMA to be renewed before that 10-year window closes resulting in the deal expiring, according to Nielsen.
“[CUSMA is] working for fruit and vegetable growers. It's working for fruit and vegetable farmers in Canada, and we have highly integrated value chains, and we would like to see that continue,” he said.
The tension in trade between Canada and the U.S. intensified on July 20 when Trump signed three executive proclamations ordering 50-per-cent tariffs on approximately $20-billion worth of Canadian exports. The tariffs are scheduled to take effect on Aug. 19, and will also apply to goods covered by CUSMA, according to the orders. Fresh fruit and vegetable exports are currently safe from the new tariff, although the long list of goods that fall under the tariff includes alcohol, dairy products, smartphones, video game consoles, paper, furniture, and many others.
In response to Trump’s latest tariff threat, Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) said his government "will do whatever it takes" to defend Canada's interests, as CBC News reported on July 23.
Nielsen told The Hill Times that even as Ottawa explores trade diversification options with other countries, the U.S. remains the primary market for domestic fruits and vegetables in part because of its proximity.
“For fruits and vegetables, in most cases, the storage is limited. Harvest has to take place at a specific time. Transportation has to be done, often in some sort of cold-storage manner. If there's a border closure and an inspection delay, [or] a tariff … growers cannot simply store products and wait for improved conditions,” he said.
“Long distances can be problematic. The natural trade partner is the United States, so it's important for us to be able to continue that trading relationship.”
Last month, FVGC’s advocacy activity included communication with Liberal MP Michael Coteau (Scarborough—Woburn, Ont.), chair of the House Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee, on June 6. The organization also communicated with CSG Senator Robert Black (Ontario), CSG Senator Mary Robinson (Prince Edward Island), and Sandra Pupatello (Ontario), chair of the Government Representative’s Office in the Senate, all on June 2.
Besides trade, the FVGC’s advocacy priorities last month included discussing crop protection, labour, and business risk management and mitigation, according to Nielsen.
Related to crop protection, the organization was discussing its support of Bill C-30, the Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act, which received royal assent on June 18.
According to a June 19 press release from the Department of Finance, measures covered in the bill include suspending the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline and diesel from April 20, 2026, to Sept. 7, 2026; cutting costs by $0.10 per litre on gasoline and $0.04 on diesel fuel; extending excise duty relief for the alcohol sector, including a two per cent cap on annual inflationary duty increases and reduced rates for the first 15,000 hectolitres of beer brewed in Canada; and extending the Home Buyers’ Plan repayment grace period from two to five years for withdrawals made from RRSPs between 2026 and 2028.
The bill was not without controversy, with backlash from groups including Ecojustice arguing the bill’s sweeping changes would also grant powers to cabinet to override science-based decisions by the health minister, and permit the use of pesticides “deemed to pose unacceptable environmental risks.”
Nielsen said the FVGC is pleased that the legislation takes into account “food security” in the decision-making process when it comes to pesticides.
“Human health continues to be a priority in its protection, and that's one of the roles of the [Canadian Food Inspection Agency], but now it's going to consider more food security, and what that means is making approvals faster because they're basically reducing the ability for our growers to deal with pests and diseases … that are putting a strain on fruit and vegetable growers,” he said.
“We've been advocating for many years that growers need timely access to effective crop protection tools; to be able to manage pests, diseases, weeds, invasive species, and extreme weather pressures, and without these tools, Canada risks reduced crop yield and quality issues of our crops.”
The FVGC is represented on the registry in-house by Nielsen, as well as by consultant Carla Ventin of Mile26 Strategy.
Oil Sands Alliance, Pembina Institute among June's top lobbyists
The most active organization overall in federal lobbying in June was the Oil Sands Alliance Inc. —an industry coalition consisting of the country's five largest oil sands producers—which filed 33 communication reports for lobbying activity that month.
The Hill Times reached out to Oil Sands Alliance to ask about June advocacy priorities. In response the group's media team said they're continuing work to support “Canada's ambition of becoming a global energy superpower.”
On July 2, Canada and Alberta announced they had concluded a trilateral memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Oil Sands Alliance, comprised of Canada Natural Resources Limited, Suncor Energy Inc., Cenovus Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Limited, and ConocoPhilips Company. The MOU sets a list of objectives, including for expansion and diversification of global market access for Canadian oil, including through the West Coast Oil Pipeline; and supporting the development of “fiscal and regulatory frameworks to enable substantial oil sands development and production growth.”
“We have been in ongoing discussions with governments for the last several months surrounding the trilateral MOU which was recently announced. The MOU contemplates regulatory reforms and fiscal measures needed to support oil sands production growth and the Pathways Project,” said the Oil Sands Alliance media team in a July 22 email.
Another major advocacy group in June, based on communication reports filed, was the Pembina Institute, a clean-energy think tank based in Ottawa. The Pembina Institute filed 22 communication reports for lobbying activity in June, including communication with Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin (Toronto—Danforth, Ont.) on June 3, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs Rebecca Chartrand (Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, Man.) on June 4; and with Liberal MP Patrick Weiler (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, B.C.) on June 6 and June 11, and Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault (Laurier—Sainte-Marie, Que.) on June 2.
Jessica McIlroy, the Pembina Institute’s director of government relations, told The Hill Times that advocacy priorities in June included discussing the fall federal budget, such as federal programs and funds related to renewable energy.
Pembina is also advocating for Ottawa to show “an equal amount of ambition and investment” towards clean energy as has been directed towards the conventional energy sector, said McIlroy.
“We've been seeing significant amounts of commitments of potential funds and commitments of actual funds going to the oil sands sector, primarily in Alberta, but also for [liquid natural gas] in B.C., and building out of potential pipelines, and that broad desire to become the conventional energy superpower,” said McIlroy.
“We want to see the same level of ambition, investment, and commitment to us becoming a clean energy superpower. And so, we're looking for ways that we can actually get more investment in renewable energy development, interties and electricity grid build out.
“We want to see that the vehicle emission standard … at a level that can actually effectively advance EVs across the country," McIlroy added.
The Pembina Institute is represented on the registry in-house by executive director Chris Severson-Baker, and by consultant Aaron Freeman of Pivot Strategic Consulting.
Most Active Lobbying Organizations in June 2026
| Organizations | Communication reports |
| Oil Sands Alliance Inc. (formerly Pathways Alliance Inc.) | 33 |
| Sacred Waters Development | 29 |
| Canadian Produce Marketing Association | 26 |
| Cenovus Energy Inc. | 23 |
| Pembina Institute | 22 |
| General Motors of Canada Company | 21 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada | 20 |
| Aboriginal Peoples Television Network | 20 |
| Canadian Agri-food Automation and Intelligence Network | 19 |
| Canadian Federation of Independent Business | 19 |
| Canadian Renewable Energy Association | 19 |
The above table shows the organizations that filed the most communication reports for lobbying activity in June, based on a search of the federal lobbyists’ registry on July 22, 2026.
The Hill Times