b'Canadas Liberal government under Mark Carney has promised sweeping reforms, starting with demands for every ministry to slash budgets by up to 15%. Photo: White Housemodern politics. Charts, infographics, plain language messengers. If youre not at the table, youre on the menu, he says.McCann pushes the argument further. We need to stop asking government to come meet us in agriculture. We need to meet government where it ison AI, on digital, on climate. The prime minister recently named a minister for artificial intelligence. Why arent we in that conversation? Above: Tyler McCann, managing This isnt just about defending agricultures traditionaldirector of the Canadianspace in the policy landscape. Its about expanding intoAgri-Food Policy Institute.the spaces where future budgets, attention, and politicalPhoto: Marc Zienkiewicz capital will be spent. Left: Michael Harvey of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade A New Playbook for Trade and Regulation Alliance. Photo: Marc ZienkiewiczThat ambition needs to carry into the CUSMA review. Gutter sees an opportunity: push for stronger biotechnol-ogy provisions, smoother regulatory alignment, and more modern trade frameworks. But dont rely on old strate-gies. We cant do it the way we used to, he says. We need a new playbook.At the same time, the regulatory system itself is facing seismic change. With Carneys government demand-ing deep cuts across departments, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is expected to refocus on its core mandatewhich may not include legacy seed regulatory functions.This is going to hit agriculture, McCann says flatly. If we dont step up with private-sector solutions, well be stuck with public-sector retreats. Karis Gutter is a former USDA official now leading government affairs for Corteva Agriscience in Washington, D.C. Photo: Marc ZienkiewiczNOVEMBER 2025SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA 17'