mdf Commerce — Investor Presentation (October 2026)
31 slides from mdf Commerce's investor presentation, October 2026
Slide 1: Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Implementation
Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Implementation
Slide 2: Overview
Overview • Shifts in Global Trade Policy • “Buy Ontario”: The Legislation • “Buy Ontario”: The Directives • What’s Next: Planning for Compliance and Thoughts on Defensibility Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Implementation
Slide 3: Shifts in Global Trade Policy
Shifts in Global Trade Policy Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Implementation
Slide 4: The "Good Old Days"
The “Good Old Days” • For decades, trade liberalization was a dominant force in international commerce and a driver of globalization. • Bilateral, multilateral and domestic trade treaties limited tariffs and guaranteed access to foreign markets for domestic suppliers through gov’t-to-gov’t procureme
Slide 5: Major Trade Treaties Applicable in Ontario and Canada
Major Trade Treaties Applicable in Ontario and Canada • World Trade Organization – Government Procurement Agreement (WTO GPA) • NAFTA – 1994 to 2020; replaced by CUSMA • Only binding on federal government entities • Enforceable through the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) • Agreement on
Slide 6: Where are we now?
Where are we now? • Trade and supply chain disruption during and post-COVID • Geopolitical challenges – US, Russia, China; shifting global power • Tariffs and international trade as economic warfare – The Trump Administration • Domestic and international responses to this chaos has been a re-alignme
Slide 7: Mark Carney quote, World Economic Forum
“ Canadians know that our old comfortable assumptions that our geography and alliance memberships automatically conferred prosperity and security – that assumption is no longer valid. Mark Carney World Economic Forum · Davos, Switzerland · January 20, 2026 Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Imple
Slide 8: Ontario's Domestic-Preference Policies and Legislation – Pre-Bill 72
Ontario’s Domestic-Preference Policies and Legislation – Pre-Bill 72 Building Ontario Businesses Initiatives Act, 2022 • “BOBIA” was put in force in 2022 and requires public entities to give preference to Ontario businesses in accordance with the regulations. • The methods of “preference” aligned wi
Slide 9: Ontario's Domestic-Preference Policies and Legislation – Pre-Bill 72
Ontario’s Domestic-Preference Policies and Legislation – Pre-Bill 72 Procurement Restriction Policy (“PRP”) • The PRP was came into force in late 2025 as the Ontario government’s response to US tariffs on Canadian products. It restricts public entities from awarding procurement contracts to US busin
Slide 10: "Buy Ontario": The Legislation
“Buy Ontario”: The Legislation Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Implementation
Slide 11: The Act empowers Management Board of Cabinet to pass directives
The Act empowers Management Board of Cabinet to pass directives requiring public sector entities to comply with specified procurement policies that promote, protect and build Ontario’s economy, including: • that public entities give preference first to Ontario, then to Canadian, goods and services i
Slide 12: Buy Ontario Act
Buy Ontario Act Transform public sector procurement Leverage public practices based on sector procurement as principles of integrity a means of promoting, Purpose and value-for-money protecting and and supporting building Ontario’s eco economic nomy and businesses development and and safeguarding it
Slide 13: Buy Ontario Act
Buy Ontario Act Ministries and agencies Hospitals, school boards, colleges, and Entities covered under universities, the Supply Chain municipalities Who does it Management Act or as Designated broader apply to? otherwise delegated public sector by regulation. organizations Third-party supply chain m
Slide 14: Buy Ontario Act
Buy Ontario Act Public sector entities can face compliance reviews. The province can order corrective action. How Is It Enforced? Provincial funding may be withheld for non-compliance. Obligations flow down to third-party supply chain managers through contracts. Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for
Slide 15: "Buy Ontario": The Directives
“Buy Ontario”: The Directives Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Implementation
Slide 16: New Procurement Directives Issued under BOA
New Procurement Directives Issued under BOA On March 30, 2026, the Ontario Government issued two new directives under the Buy Ontario Act : • Buy Ontario Procurement Directive • Ministries, government agencies, broader public sector entities • Municipal Buy Ontario Procurement Directive • Municipali
Slide 17: Directive coverage comparison
Building Procurement Strategic Ontario Restriction Strategic Category – Category – Business Policy (US Capital Infrastructure Fleet Initiative Businesses) Buy Ontario Yes Yes Yes Yes Procurement Directive Municipal Buy Ontario No No Yes Yes Procurement Directive Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for
Slide 18: Fleet Vehicle Procurement Directive
Fleet Vehicle Procurement Directive What’s Covered? New light-duty passenger vehicles Procurement • Purchase or lease Made-in-Ontario Vehicles Direction • If Made-in-Ontario Vehicles are not operationally feasible or available, purchase from Ontario Vehicle Producer Key Definitions • Made-in-Ontario
Slide 19: Capital Infrastructure Procurement Directive
Capital Infrastructure Procurement Directive Vendors bidding on capital infrastructure procurements must prioritize Procurement using Ontario Made and Canadian Made goods for major goods and Direction Ontario and Canadian Services in delivering the project where feasible. • Construction Applicable D
Slide 20: Capital Infrastructure Procurement Directive
Capital Infrastructure Procurement Directive Stipulating a mandatory percentage for Ontario or Canadian products or services; evaluating the proposed percentage of Ontario or Evaluation Canadain products or services; and inclusion of weighted domestic evaluation criteria. • Construction Contract • O
Slide 21: Building Ontario Business Initiative
Building Ontario Business Initiative All goods and services* What’s Covered? * Except for capital procurement, fleet vehicles and certain other exceptions. • Tiered preferences based on procurement values that align with CFTA thresholds. Procurement • Preference starts with Ontario businesses for lo
Slide 22: Procurement Restriction Policy (US Businesses)
Procurement Restriction Policy (US Businesses) A supplier, manufacturer or distributor in any business structure that Definition of US has its headquarters in the US and has fewer than 250 full-time Business employees in Canada at the time of the procurement. Restricts US businesses from participati
Slide 23: "Buy Ontario": What's Next and Planning for Compliance
“Buy Ontario”: What’s Next and Planning for Compliance Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Implementation
Slide 24: Implementing the Buy Ontario Directives
Implementing the Buy Ontario Directives • Review internal procurement policies and update as necessary to reflect new requirements. • Update your procurement templates to reflect the evaluation requirements for prescribed evaluation strategies • Train internal users and clients on the new requiremen
Slide 25: Implementing the Buy Ontario Directives
Implementing the Buy Ontario Directives Build process for documenting compliance • Build robust business cases when relying on any exemptions (i.e. when awarding to a US Business or not applying the capital infrastructure methodologies) • Ensure the right approval levels are obtained for procurement
Slide 26: Implementing the Buy Ontario Directives
Implementing the Buy Ontario Directives From The Globe and Mail, September 17, 2026 Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Implementation
Slide 27: Legal Liability under the Buy Ontario Act
Legal Liability under the Buy Ontario Act • The Act extinguishes causes of action and limits financial remedies again the government or any public sector entity that result from…”anything done or not done in accordance with this Act or a regulation, directive or other instrument under this Act .” •
Slide 28: The Legal Framework for Trade Treaty Compliance
The Legal Framework for Trade Treaty Compliance • Federal • An alleged breach of a trade treaty can be brought to the CITT, an administrative tribunal set up to adjudicate trade related disputes, including procurement challenges. • Provincial • An alleged breach of a trade treaty can be challenged t
Slide 29: Judicial Review of Trade Treaty Compliance
Judicial Review of Trade Treaty Compliance Thales DIS Canada Inc. v. Ontario, ON Divisional Court (2022) • Thales, a French company, challenged an Ontario government procurement for paper material used in identity cards that required that the entire production process to be undertaken in a secure pr
Slide 30: Judicial Review of Trade Treaty Compliance
Judicial Review of Trade Treaty Compliance There were two main issues before the ON Divisional Court: 1. Whether the determination made at the provincial bid dispute challenge that the domestic manufacturing requirement was consistent with the CETA was “reasonable”? 2. Did Ontario’s bid protest mech
Slide 31: Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Implementation
Thank you for attending the presentation Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Implementation © 2026 Edilex inc. All Rights Reserved