2026 Spring Forwarder Magazine

8 THE FORWARDER | SPRING 2026 It has been an extremely busy time for CIFFA in Ottawa with our strategic government relations program now in full swing. There has been no shortage of dull moments, as the Government has been able to bring over three Members of Parliament from the Opposition benches to the Liberal caucus, inching closer to a majority government. In fact, at time of writing this, byelections were just announced by the Prime Minister. If the Liberals can win all three seats in play, they will have a majority government until 2029 with no risk of election in the meantime. That kind of stability is essential for a Prime Minister like Mark Carney – whose ambitious agenda is up against the friction of global events such as the Iran conflict and domestic concerns like provincial sovereignty movements in both Alberta and Quebec, and the normal day to day push and pull that any government faces in politics. On top of that, we continue to face headwinds from our largest trading partner and (formerly) most important ally – the United States. Efforts to diversify Canadian trade have been successful so far, with the Prime Minister leading the way in Europe, Asia, and South America. Strengthened trade, security and defense partnerships have been announced with multiple allied nations, and we continue to track and monitor how these developments may positively impact CIFFA member operations. In terms of CIFFA’s strategic advocacy, we are in a particularly good place right now. We have been able to consult with every important Minister’s office that we need to be placing our issues in front of and have held meetings with dozens of key staff and parliamentarians, as well as high ranking civil servants within the bureaucracy. These meetings include the offices of Public Safety, Transport Canada, Labour, International Trade, and the Prime Ministers office, among others. In addition, CIFFA has made it a priority to ensure we are engaging with key Federal Committee stakeholders, such as committee chairs and other key MPs who sit on these committees. This includes members of the Opposition, such as the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois. There are important Federal studies that have been finalized, are in process, or will be starting soon that CIFFA is not just proactively monitoring but now being asked up front by key Government officials to participate in – something we take very seriously. We are now actively engaging across a multitude of federal files every single day. Our Government Relations and strategic advocacy work is now strong, and things look to be improving each day. We have also begun to take strategic steps in liaising and meeting with key Provincial and Territorial Ministerial staff, with our initial meetings including the Minister of Transport (Ontario) and next steps including Alberta and British Columbia Ministry of Transport players. This work is ongoing and should be considered essential when it comes to relationship building across the tripartite network of governments essential in policymaking: The federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal levels. A key part of this advocacy is you – our Membership. The information brought forward through our internal committee process is essential to my own personal understanding of key issues of importance for CIFFA and I continue to appreciate the efforts of our members who flag vital details impacting our supply chain to us at CIFFA HQ – please keep this up! If you see me in the coming months at a CIFFA event, please say hello and update me on your own operations – it really helps me to better understand how I can continue to help each of you with my advocacy work in Ottawa and beyond. In the months ahead, CIFFA will continue to ensure that critical issues impacting our members are placed front and centre for Governments to be aware of. I look forward to continuing to strongly represent CIFFA in our Nation’s Capital and across the Provinces and Territories as we initiate the next phase of our strategic advocacy objectives. Thank you, Ben Martin Government Relations Lead Advisor – CIFFA CORP. CIFFA GOVERNMENT RELATIONS UPDATE