Ontario Business Leaders Head to Washington to Defend CUSMA and Cross‑Border Trade

Ontario’s private sector is stepping up its direct outreach in Washington, D.C., as the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) moves toward its first major review. A business delegation led by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce is meeting with U.S. legislators, senior officials, and industry associations to underline how deeply Ontario is woven into North American trade and supply chains that support billions of dollars in two‑way commerce each year.

Their core message: stable, predictable Canada–U.S. trade rules are essential not only to Ontario’s prosperity, but to American jobs, competitiveness, and security in a world of rising geopolitical tension and supply chain fragmentation.

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Ontario Business Leaders Put Cross-Border Trade Priorities on the Agenda in Washington

Ahead of the formal CUSMA review, a group of Ontario executives, sector associations, and industry advocates has arrived in Washington to spotlight Ontario as one of the United States’ most important economic partners. The delegation spans key fields including:

• Advanced manufacturing and automotive
• Electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries
• Life sciences and health technologies
• Agri-food and food processing
• Clean technology and energy solutions

Across hearings, roundtables, and Capitol Hill briefings, they are emphasizing three overarching themes:

• Stable supply chains that keep factories running, shelves stocked, and major projects on schedule.
• Predictable, rules-based trade that allows companies to invest with confidence and plan for the long term.
• Joint innovation initiatives in areas like EVs, clean tech, and life sciences that keep North America competitive globally.

Ontario’s representatives stress that more than US$400 billion in annual Canada–U.S. trade flows now pass through integrated supply chains, many anchored in Ontario. Any CUSMA revisions that disrupt these production networks—especially in autos, clean technology, and critical minerals—could raise costs, slow investment, and weaken the continent’s position versus Europe and Asia.

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Keeping the Canada–U.S. Trade Corridor Competitive

In discussions with U.S. lawmakers and business groups, Ontario’s delegation is putting forward specific proposals to keep the cross-border corridor efficient and competitive in the face of new industrial policies and global trade realignments. Among the key priorities:

• Streamlining border operations through:
  • Modernized customs procedures
  • Greater use of digital documentation and pre-clearance
  • Enhanced trusted trader and trusted traveler programs
• Regulatory alignment to lighten the burden on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that operate in both markets, especially in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, food, and professional services.
• Energy and critical mineral cooperation to secure low-carbon energy, fuel the EV transition, and reduce dependence on geopolitically risky suppliers.
• Protection of auto and EV supply chains from protectionist measures that fragment production, with a focus on ensuring that rules of origin and subsidies support—not undermine—North American integration.
• Expansion of services and digital trade, including:
  • Clear, predictable rules for cross-border data flows
  • High standards for cybersecurity and data protection
  • Facilitation of cloud, AI, and fintech services across borders

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What’s at Stake for Ontario in the CUSMA Review?

Ontario’s economic strength is built on cross-border production systems that connect plants, farms, labs, and service hubs across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The upcoming CUSMA review has direct implications for:

• Automotive and EVs: From assembly plants in southern Ontario to parts suppliers and battery facilities, auto and EV manufacturing depends on components crossing the border multiple times before a vehicle reaches the showroom.
• Agri-food and food processing: Ontario exports everything from grains and oilseeds to processed foods into the U.S. market, which remains by far its largest customer.
• Life sciences: Biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and health technologies rely on integrated R&D and clinical trial ecosystems across North America.
• Clean technology: Renewable power, hydrogen, carbon capture, and clean manufacturing solutions are increasingly built through binational partnerships.

To preserve this integration, business leaders are pressing for:

• Avoidance of new non-tariff barriers that could slow trade or introduce uncertainty through complex or shifting standards.
• Updated and clarified rules of origin, especially for EV batteries and advanced auto components, to ensure that genuinely North American production qualifies for CUSMA benefits.
• Protection of just-in-time logistics, which depend on predictable border crossing times and consistent application of customs rules.

They note that seemingly technical regulatory tweaks can ripple through multi-tiered supply chains, affecting investment decisions, plant utilization rates, and workforce planning.

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Digital Trade and Services: The New Frontier of North American Integration

Beyond physical goods, Ontario’s delegation is calling attention to the growing importance of digital and service-based trade. As AI, cloud computing, and data analytics transform sectors from manufacturing to finance, CUSMA’s digital provisions matter more than ever.

Priority asks in this space include:

• Automotive & EVs: Clearer rules of origin for advanced components, including software-intensive parts and battery systems, to keep EV production anchored in North America.
• Agriculture & Food: Predictable, science-based sanitary and phytosanitary standards that avoid politicization, helping farmers and processors plan long-term exports.
• Critical Minerals: Coordinated permitting, processing, and environmental frameworks so that upstream mining in Ontario can reliably feed downstream EV and clean tech manufacturing in both countries.
• Digital Trade: Strong commitments to:
  • Allow cross-border data flows
  • Limit data localization requirements
  • Protect intellectual property and source code

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Building Leverage: Coordinated Federal–Provincial Advocacy on CUSMA

Ontario’s influence in the CUSMA process hinges on its ability to work in lockstep with the federal government and other provinces. The more unified and evidence-based Canada’s message is, the more seriously it is taken on Capitol Hill.

A coordinated strategy involves:

• Shared priorities and talking points on core files such as:
  • Automotive and EV rules of origin
  • Supply chain resilience
  • Digital trade provisions
  • Regulatory cooperation and standards
• Joint intelligence gathering on U.S. congressional dynamics, including:
  • Key committee chairs and ranking members
  • States with the closest economic ties to Ontario (e.g., Michigan, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania)
• Aligned outreach strategies that leverage:
  • Provincial and federal ministers
  • Diplomatic missions
  • Business leaders and local employers with district-level stories

Business organizations highlight the importance of clarity over who leads each file and how data is shared. Robust advocacy is most persuasive when backed by plant-level impact assessments, job numbers, and specific examples of cross-border projects.

Focus areas for this joint effort include:

• Automotive and EV supply chains – articulating how integrated production sustains jobs in both countries and how Ontario’s critical minerals can help meet U.S. climate and security goals.
• Border efficiency – pushing for investments in infrastructure, advanced inspection technology, and risk-based screening that cut wait times.
• Clean technology – highlighting shovel-ready projects, skilled labour pools, and opportunities for co-investment under U.S. and Canadian incentive programs.
• SME access to U.S. markets – harmonizing export support so that smaller firms can navigate rules, logistics, and compliance more easily.

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How Ontario Businesses Can Navigate CUSMA Uncertainty and Capture New Opportunities

Ontario companies are increasingly treating the CUSMA review as a strategic planning trigger rather than a purely political event. Many are reassessing how they operate across North America with a view to building resilience and flexibility.

Key strategies include:

• Re-mapping the North American footprint:
  • Diversifying production and warehousing locations across multiple U.S. states and Canadian regions
  • Developing alternative routes and ports of entry to avoid single-point border vulnerabilities
• Investing in trade intelligence:
  • Deploying tools that monitor regulatory and policy changes in real time
  • Building internal capacity or partnering with advisors to interpret evolving rules of origin and customs requirements
• Prioritizing sectors with bipartisan backing in Washington, such as EVs, critical minerals, and defense-related supply chains, where long-term U.S. support is more likely regardless of election outcomes.
• Formalizing cross-border advocacy coalitions:
  • Partnering with U.S.-based chambers of commerce, industry groups, and suppliers
  • Presenting united, sector-wide positions to Congress and federal agencies

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Positioning for Long-Term Industrial Policy Trends

CUSMA is only one piece of a broader shift toward active industrial policy in North America. The United States has launched large-scale initiatives—such as the Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act—that reward clean manufacturing, low-emission products, and advanced technologies. Ontario businesses are working to ensure they can plug into these programs and remain preferred partners for U.S. buyers and policymakers.

Current moves by Ontario firms include:

• Aligning manufacturing practices with U.S. clean-tech incentives:
  • Documenting and certifying low-carbon production processes
  • Investing in energy efficiency, renewables, and emissions tracking
• Upgrading traceability in agri-food:
  • Implementing advanced tracking and documentation systems
  • Preparing for potential tightening of sanitary and phytosanitary rules
• Future-proofing digital and service offerings:
  • Stress-testing data governance and privacy frameworks against evolving U.S. and Mexican standards
  • Embedding compliance-by-design into software, fintech, and cybersecurity products

Boards and executive teams are also being encouraged to:

• Deepen diplomatic supply chain relationships with counterparts in the United States and Mexico, including regular joint planning sessions.
• Implement board-level trade risk dashboards that track exposure to regulatory and political changes.
• Use uncertainty as a catalyst to rethink where and how value is created in North American supply chains, rather than simply reacting to policy shifts as they arise.

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Wrapping Up

As Ontario’s business delegation makes its case in Washington, the magnitude of what is at stake in the CUSMA review is increasingly evident. The agreement underpins dense webs of trade, investment, and supply chains that support millions of jobs across the continent.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s mission highlights a broader trend: provinces, states, and other subnational actors are no longer leaving trade diplomacy solely to national governments. They are stepping directly into the policy arena to safeguard their interests and advocate for modernized, rules-based trade.

Whether these efforts will shape the final outcome of the CUSMA review remains uncertain. What is clear is Ontario’s central argument: enduring, predictable, and forward-looking trade relations with the United States are not optional—they are fundamental to the province’s economic resilience and long-term growth.