Lobbying on Freight & Ports - Ottawa (September 2026 edition)
Mobil Grain Group and Ray-Mont Logistics International were unusually active lobbyists last month.
Once a month, we partner up with LobbyIQ to update our readers on recent movements in the federal lobbying landscape in Ottawa. We provide separate coverage for each channel, defined by the most relevant industries, organizations, institutions, and subject matters.
Key Takeaways — Freight & Ports
- Lobbying activity totalled 118 meetings in August 2026, down from a 12-month average of 169.4.
- The biggest moves were in Airports and support activities for air transportation and Railroad rolling stock manufacturing.
- Mobil Grain Group, Ray-Mont Logistics International were more active than usual.
Section A: The Themes Hidden in August 2026 Data
Lobbying Surge Coincides with Launch of $5B Trade Diversification Corridors Fund
The federal government's $5 billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund (TDCF), announced in March 2026, appears to align with a spike in lobbying by freight transportation and logistics firms such as Mobil Grain Group and Arctic Gateway Group AGG in August 2026. Industry actors, including the Chamber of Marine Commerce in their interactions with the Privy Council Office (PCO), are seeking to influence funding allocations for supply chain infrastructure, with several organizations reportedly advocating for eligibility and support under the TDCF’s multimodal and port modernization priorities.
📎 Transport Canada — Trade Diversification Corridors Fund
Port Expansion Fast-Tracked Amid Lobbying on Marine Act Reform
Federal acceleration of the Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy, including the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, comes as lobbying intensifies regarding amendments to the Canada Marine Act and port authority governance, with groups such as the Chamber of Marine Commerce engaging with the Privy Council Office (PCO) and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association meeting with the House of Commons. Stakeholder groups, including the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority, are actively engaged in policy discussions around operational efficiency, long-term funding, and governance reforms to shape future expansion and competitiveness at Canada’s main ports.
📎 Federal plan to expand Port of Vancouver's terminals, railways, and ...
Ongoing Consultations on Port Modernization Parallel Advocacy Efforts
Throughout 2026, Transport Canada has continued public consultation processes on strengthening port governance and the regulatory framework, paralleling lobbying meetings from the Chamber of Marine Commerce and the Association of Canadian Port Authorities with officials at Transport Canada and the Privy Council Office focused on "modernization of marine infrastructure" and alignment with U.S. policies. These policy debates provide industry groups such as the Global Cold Chain Alliance and CIFFA Corp with channels to influence legislative reforms impacting infrastructure investment and port authority mandates.
Section B: Lobbying Activity by Industry
This section compares, by NAICS industry, the lobbying activity in Ottawa last month to its historical average.
Lobbying activity across this channel totalled 118 meetings in August 2026, down from a 12-month average of 169. The most active industry was Airports and support activities for air transportation, while Ports and support activities for water transportation fell below its recent baseline.
Freight transportation arrangement logged 16 meetings, up from an average of 12.
On the quieter side, Air transportation had 17 meetings, down from an average of 24, Water transportation had 12 meetings, down from an average of 22, Delivery services had no lobbying meetings this month, down from an average of 3, Warehousing and storage had 1 meetings, down from an average of 1, Railroad rolling stock manufacturing had 2 meetings, down from an average of 12, Airports and support activities for air transportation had 23 meetings, down from an average of 38, and Ports and support activities for water transportation had 20 meetings, down from an average of 25.
Section C: Lobbying by Industry for the Past Year
To contextualize, we show each industry's lobbying activity over the past 12 months. The combined view from Section B and C shows you whether recent differences are persistent trends or a break from the norm.
Top Industry Residual Trends for 2026-08
↳ Freight transportation arrangement displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.
↳ Railroad rolling stock manufacturing displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.
↳ Ports and support activities for water transportation displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.
Section D: Lobbying Activity by Organization
In this section, we see the organizations with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity.
The organizations with the most notable increases in lobbying this month include Mobil Grain Group, and Ray-Mont Logistics International.
On the quieter side, Hitachi Rail GTS Canada Inc., CSL Group Inc., and WestJet Airlines Ltd. all pulled back from their usual pace.
Section E: Lobbying of Government Institutions in the Past Month
Every time an organization lobbies, there is a government official representing a government institution at the other side of the table. This section shows the industry-institutions pairs with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity. Below that, we show the corresponding organization-institution pairs.
Industries → Government Institutions
Organizations → Government Institutions
The busiest industry → institution corridors this month:
↳ Freight transportation arrangement → House of Commons: 8 meetings (avg 4, +104%).
↳ Air transportation → Transport Canada (TC): 7 meetings (avg 10, -26%).
The busiest organization → institution corridors this month:
↳ Western Canadian Shippers' Coalition → Transport Canada (TC): 6 meetings (avg 5, +26%).
↳ CIFFA Corp → House of Commons: 6 meetings (avg 3, +112%).
Section F: Industry and Organization Lobbying by Subject in the Past Month
All lobbying activity is tagged with a "subject matter". This section shows the industry-subject pairs with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity, and below it the organization-subject pairs with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month.
Industries → Subjects
Organizations → Subjects
The busiest industry → subject corridors this month:
↳ Crop production → Transportation: 36 meetings (avg 25, +45%).
↳ Motor vehicle manufacturing → Transportation: 21 meetings (avg 42, -50%).
The busiest organization → subject corridors this month:
↳ Canadian Agri-food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) → Transportation: 27 meetings (avg 5, +449%).
↳ Vale Canada Limited → Transportation: 16 meetings (avg 10, +68%).
↳ Qikiqtaaluk Arctic Economic Development LP → Transportation: 12 meetings (avg 6, +115%).
Section G: Last Month's Most Lobbied Politicians and Civil Servants
This section presents a list of the politicians and civil servants who took the most meetings with key industry players last month.
Most Lobbied Individuals by Sector
Most Lobbied Individuals by Organization
Among the individuals with the most notable meeting activity (by sector) this month were Airports and support activities for air transportation → Michael Vandergrift (Transport Canada (TC)), Ports and support activities for water transportation → Michael Vandergrift (Transport Canada (TC)) and Ports and support activities for water transportation → Owen Crawford-Lem (Transport Canada (TC)).
Among the individuals with the most notable meeting activity (by organization) this month were IDS North America Ltd → kendel Hembroff (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)), Western Canadian Shippers' Coalition → Heather Macmahon (Privy Council Office (PCO)) and Ray-Mont Logistics International → Manjeet Vinning (Prime Minister's Office (PMO)).
