What is advocacy? Advocacy simply means speaking up for our industry - talking to government officials, explaining our challenges, and pushing for policies that help Canadian kitchen cabinet manufacturers survive and grow.
This kind of work takes time. Our partners at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) will tell you it can take years to see results. But CKCA isn't giving up, and neither should you. The survival of our domestic industry is on the line, and we need to push harder than ever before.
What has CKCA been doing?
We hired a government relations firm - specialists who know how government works and who to talk to. CKCA became a registered lobbyist and since then we've had more than a dozen meetings with officials from departments including Global Affairs (Trade), Housing and Infrastructure, and Finance. We know what's at stake, and we're not slowing down.
Leading this work are Amrita Bhogal (Sunrise Kitchens), CKCA president, and Luke Elias (Muskoka Cabinet Company), CKCA vice president. They've put in an enormous amount of time on your behalf. We've also joined forces with other members through the Canadian Wood Products Alliance (canadianwoodproductsalliance.ca) - because there is strength in numbers.
Amrita and Luke shared this update at the recent CKCA Spring Regional in Hamilton, Ontario, May 12–14.
Our two main goals1. Getting the government to notice us
While this might sound like an easy thing, it is not. There are hundreds of industries talking to government every day; many are much bigger than ours who have been lobbying hard for a long time. We have jumped into the advocacy long game; we have had to educate officials on what our industry does and why it matters. That’s why we have asked members to invite MPs into their shops. They don’t know you exist, you need to change that. At the recent CKCA Spring Regional, Diamond CNC invited their local MP, Leslyn Lewis, to tour their shop with our plant tour. It was great to meet MP Lewis and we had the opportunity to brief her on our industry challenges. She acknowledged that there were various industries also facing similar issues. We will be having a follow up meeting with MP Lewis.
Our message to MPs is simple - Canadian kitchen cabinet makers are in serious trouble. Low-priced imported products — especially from Asian markets — are flooding into Canada. This is happening partly because the U.S. has put high tariffs on Asian goods, so those products are being redirected here instead. This isn't a temporary slowdown. It's a major, lasting shift that is pushing Canadian-made products out of the market right now.
We're asking the federal government to do two things:
Expand the "Buy Canadian" strategy to specifically include finished products like cabinetry. Right now, the policy only covers raw materials - it doesn't go far enough.
Require Canadian-made cabinets in federally funded housing. The government is building thousands of homes under its national housing program. We're asking that Canadian cabinets be included in those kitchens.
These two changes would make a real difference for our industry.
2. Pushing for tariff protection (Called a "Safeguard")
In the fall of 2025, the U.S. placed a 25% tariff on Canadian cabinets exported there, with the possibility of that rising to 50%. The trade agreement that used to protect us (CUSMA) no longer does. Depending on the member, anywhere from 20% to 100% of some businesses rely on that U.S. export market.
The good news: The Canadian government has agreed to launch an investigation into whether it should place tariffs on imported cabinets coming into Canada. This is called a safeguard investigation, and CKCA supports it fully - it's an important step toward levelling the playing field.
The concern: This process can take over a year, and the government has not made a decision on provisional tariffs yet. But our industry doesn't have that kind of time. Without faster action, more businesses will close and more jobs will be lost. We are urging the government to move quickly and put temporary tariffs in place now, while the investigation takes place.
Why this affects you - even if you think it doesn't
You may feel like this isn't your problem yet. But the damage is already happening across our industry, and it's only a matter of time before it reaches every one of us — directly or indirectly.
If we want things to change, we need to speak with one voice. We need to show the government who we are, what we contribute, and what will be lost if they don't act. Now is the time. We need your support so we can continue this important work to support you.
