Fair Fields: Competition Law Essentials for Canada's Agricultural Manufacturing Sector

This round table provides a practical overview of key competition law issues affecting agricultural manufacturers in Canada. It focuses on how competition law applies to common commercial activities, including dealer and distributor relationships, pricing practices, territorial restrictions, parts and repair access, software-enabled equipment, customer and operational data, and interactions with competitors through industry associations or collaborative initiatives. The discussion will highlight current enforcement priorities under Canada’s Competition Act, with an emphasis on practical risk areas for executives, legal teams, sales leaders, and operations personnel.

Facilitator: Kyle Donnelly, Partner, MLT Aikins

About the Facilitator:

Kyle offers a wealth of experience in competition and foreign investment reviews. He has advised a wide variety of Canadian and foreign clients in diverse industries, including significant experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device, transportation, energy, consumer products, technology and communications sectors.

Kyle’s law practice focuses on transactional matters, regulatory notifications and approvals, government investigations, critical regulatory litigation and general competition and communications law compliance counselling (including marketing and advertising laws).

Kyle is among the most experienced national security advisors in the country, having worked on a dozen full national security reviews under the ICA, including the first ever successful judicial review of a national security order, and the first ever approvals without conditions under the national security review regime for establishments of new Canadian businesses by Chinese investors.

He recently served a term at the Department of Justice Canada, representing the Commissioner of Competition in connection with merger reviews, abuse of dominance inquiries and deceptive marketing practices investigations.

AI Adoption: Frameworks for Success

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping how Canadian ag manufacturers compete on a global scale - from predictive maintenance and quality control to autonomous machinery and precision robotics. But adopting AI effectively demands structured frameworks that address governance, risk, and practical implementation together.

This session brings together legal insight and real-world experience to give attendees a comprehensive view of successful AI adoption in an agricultural manufacturing environment. We will cover the legal dimensions of AI deployment, including governance structures, contracting risks with AI vendors, and accountability and data integrity issues, before shifting to the factory floor, where attendees will share their own experiences rolling out AI tools to improve efficiency and drive innovation. A key theme is physical AI: autonomous systems, robotics, and intelligent machinery that is transforming industrial work in the same way generative AI has transformed knowledge-based work.

This Momentum Series session is designed to be interactive and practitioner-focused, grounded in the legal and operational realities facing AMC members as they move from AI curiosity to AI implementation.

Speaker: Danielle Graff, Partner, MLT Aikins

About the Speaker:

Danielle co-leads the MLT Aikins Agribusiness and Food practice and is a technology, privacy, and intellectual property lawyer. She advises organizations on complex, high-impact initiatives at the intersection of innovation, technology, data, and regulation, helping clients navigate strategic opportunities while managing risk. Danielle is recognized in the 2025 edition (and since 2023) of the Best Lawyers in Canada for Information Technology Law and Technology Law.

In her agribusiness and food practice, Danielle works with clients across the agricultural value chain, including crop input providers, grain handlers, processors, manufacturers, and emerging agtech ventures. She advises on digital agriculture platforms, data governance, technology commercialization, and regulatory compliance, with a particular focus on how data and emerging technologies are transforming the sector. Danielle also advises clients on the legal and governance challenges of artificial intelligence, including AI-related contracting risks, responsible deployment, and integration into existing operational frameworks.