The 56th Annual Convention
Moncton, New Brunswick
Wed. Nov. 19 to Fri. Nov. 21, 2025
Crowne Plaza, Downtown Moncton
1005 Main St., Moncton, New Brunswick
This year’s convention theme is Food. Sovereignty. Justice. Building Collective Strategies. To confront the threats to Canada’s sovereignty, ongoing tariff disputes, and the rise of authoritarianism, NFU farmers, farm workers, and their allies are building a vibrant social movement. Our goals are to strengthen democracy, amplify the voice of organized labour, and improve food and climate resilience. We are coming together to advocate for the infrastructure and resources farmers need to make sure affordable and sustainable food is available to Canada’s diverse communities and that there is economic dignity for all the workers who produce it.
Book your hotel room!
Hotel Information: Book your room at the Crowne Plaza, Moncton! Call 1-866-854-4656 or 506-854-6340 OR email reservations@cpmoncton.com. Please mention to block code DWN to benefit from the special convention rate.
Keynote Presentation by Charlie Angus and Brit Griffin
Wednesday, November 19
8:00 PM (Atlantic)
We are delighted to announce that our keynote presentation will be given by Charlie Angus and Brit Griffin. Charlie Angus, author, journalist, broadcaster, musician and former NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay (2004-2025) is currently leading “The Resistance” to authoritarianism and attacks on Canada’s sovereignty (charlieangus.ca).
In an intimate fireside chat, Charlie will be joined by his long-time partner, Brit Griffin. Brit is a former investigative journalist/editor, a cli-fi novelist, researcher for the Timiskaming First Nation, and long-time feminist and environmental activist (britgriffin.ca). Brit and Charlie’s over 40 years of shared struggle for progressive causes will inspire conference attendees on how to nurture and empower each other in the building of our own social movements.
We acknowledge the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Government of Prince Edward Island, and the Government of Canada as a funder of our convention’s keynote address.
Your Local Guide to Moncton
Make the most out of your trip to Moncton! Find local restaurants, cafés, and bakeries with gluten-friendly, global and vegan options listed in the NFU-NB’s Local Guide to Moncton. Plus, where to do some sightseeing and enjoy art and culture in the region.
Program Highlights
All times shown are in Atlantic Time (AST).
Download the 2025 Convention Agenda to see the complete schedule, including breaks, elections and resolutions, and other NFU business.
Day 1: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Panel 1: Food Sovereignty – the political dimensions of our struggle
Wednesday, November 19
10:00 AM
What do we mean by food sovereignty? Our panelists will share the story of how the idea of food sovereignty was developed in resistance to globalization, how it is being developed and put into action here in Canada and internationally, and how food sovereignty and Canadian sovereignty are connected in today’s political milieu.
Nettie Wiebe
Nettie Wiebe farms near Delisle, Saskatchewan, growing organic grains and pulse crops. She served in elected leadership positions of the National Farmers Union for ten years and was the first woman to lead a national farm organization in Canada. The NFU was a founding member of the global Via Campesina movement where Nettie played a leadership role as a member of the International Coordinating Committee from 1996-2004. She is currently a member of IPES-Food – the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems.
Rav Singh and Madeline Marmor
Rav Singh (she/her) is a young and new farmer in southern Ontario. She runs Shade of Miti, an ecological farm that specializes in growing South Asian vegetables, such as okra and bitter melon. Before farming, Rav was an environmental educator working with youth in the city on climate advocacy projects. She believes in the power of collective action, and in recent years has focused on the development of climate education materials for newcomers, farmland protection, and supporting youth entering agriculture.
Madeline “Maddie” Marmor (she/her) is a first generation, landless farmer, facilitator, consultant and Circle keeper. Her practices are rooted in the relational legacies between Native and Non-native restorative justice practitioners. Madeline’s experience grows out of food system spaces like La Vía Campesina, the Nyéléni Global Movement for Food Sovereignty, and the National Farmers Union – Canada. Agroecological organizing, food sovereignty principles and popular education are fundamental to her process and offerings. She is a graduate of the Conflict Management and Mediation Certificate Program at Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo University, and holds a B.A. in Media & the Public Interest from Western University. Madeline loves everything floral, growing fruits (trellising tomato plants makes her blood sing!) and earnestly holds space, together with her community, for the emergence of a just, and more equitable food future. A future she thinks is completely possible, if not inevitable!
Gavin Fridell
Gavin Fridell is a University Research Professor in the Department of Political Science and Global Development Studies at Saint Mary’s University. His research focuses on fair trade and free trade, global political economy, and critical social theory. He has published widely, including co-authoring, with Ilan Kapoor, Rethinking Development Politics (Edward Elgar Publishing 2024), and co-editing, with Zack Gross and Sean McHugh, The Fair Trade Handbook: Building a Better World, Together (Fernwood Press 2021). He is a member of the Trade and Investment Research Project of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Day 2: Thursday, November 20, 2025
Panel 2: Maritime Food Sovereignty
Thursday, November 20
10:00 AM
This panel shares and celebrates unique, creative and exciting Maritime leadership in food sovereignty. We’ll hear stories from and about farmers, educators and workers and the ways they are make our food system and communities stronger.
Robert Sheidow, Hayes Farm
Robert grew up in rural PEI and worked on a potato and dairy farm as a young man and also farmed mussels. Over the past five years, he has been involved in volunteering and working at NB Community Harvest Gardens Inc. a not-for-profit in Fredericton, NB, that provides food relief to local organizations and manages two community gardens. NBCHG’s keystone project is Hayes Farm, an urban farm that provides educational workshops and tours to community members on a Pay-What-You-Can model.
Alexis Légère
Alexis Légère is a market gardener, entrepreneur, and innovator in agricultural education. Holding bachelor’s degrees in both biology and marketing, Alexis combines scientific knowledge with business acumen to create thriving, sustainable food systems. Alexis has over 8 years of experience in market gardening including 4 years as the owner of Les Racines Légère. Beyond the farm, Alexis is recognized as a pioneer in New Brunswick’s agricultural education sector. He leads a primary school farm project that inspires the next generation and is currently building a farm school program to train new farmers in his region.
Kim Lipsett
With over thirty-five years of experience as a career civil servant Kim spent the majority of her career supporting economic development opportunities including major initiatives in fisheries, aquaculture and wild blueberry development. She was part of other initiatives involving workforce development for Indigenous people in the wild blueberry industry and part of a team that led developing a workforce pipeline for the cybersecurity industry in New Brunswick. As a Workforce Development Coordinator with the New Brunswick Agricultural Alliance, our focus is placed on working with industry, government and academia to address the workforce challenges faced in agriculture. Workforce Development is steered by the NFU-NB, AANB, and Really Local Harvest; some of the most recent initiatives have been focused on addressing seasonal worker gaps and advancing the development of digital agriculture strategy in which workforce development is a pillar.
Land Back Learning Circle
Thursday, November 20
4:45 PM
This Learning Circle will discuss the Land Back movement and will be co-facilitated by the NFU Indigenous Solidarity Working Group with collaborators from the Yellowhead Institute. It will offer an exploration of the history of Land Back, what it means for us as farmers, and how you can support Land Back as part of our collective effort to build food sovereignty and fight climate change in Turtle Island/Canada. The NFU’s Deer Hide Protocol—our on-going commitment to building relationships—will provide the foundation for this Learning Circle.
Riley Yesno
Riley Yesno is a queer Anishinaabe scholar, writer, and commentator from Eabametoong First Nation. She is highly sought after for her words and analysis— called an ‘Indigenous powerhouse’ by the Toronto Star— she has been a contributor and commentator for some of the largest media outlets in Canada and the world, including the New York Times, BBC World News, The Globe and Mail, and CBC National News. Riley has also travelled the globe speaking at internationally renowned institutions and events, including the UN climate negotiations, the Stockholm Forum on Gender Equality, TEDx stages, and many others. Riley is a frequent lecturer at the University of Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University and is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto, where she studies Indigenous/Canadian politics and is a Vanier Scholar.
La famille LeBlanc
Thursday, November 2
7:00 PM
The celebrated LeBlanc clan has been a musical family for at least 6 generations. Today, Robin LeBlanc, accompanied by his wife and three daughters, continues this tradition. Integrated into the tradition since birth, the three LeBlanc sisters step dance to the sound of their father’s fiddle who plays tunes played by his great great grandfather. Charlotte, the eldest, plays the violin, Rosalie plays the concertina and accompanies her sister at the piano and Mélodie tops it off with her percussive foot work and whistle. All sisters step dance in the traditional stylings as well. Their mother harmonizes, while interpreting many of the oldest Acadian-French ballads. To these rhythms, Rebecca will surely engage you to dance to her set dance calls for a true Acadian kitchen party experience.
Day 3: Friday, November 21, 2025
Panel 3: The NFU putting policy into action
Friday, November 21
10:00 AM
Building collective strategies to promote the dignity, prosperity and sustainable future of farmers, farm families and their communities is a year-round occupation at the NFU! Our panelists will recount this year’s campaigns, projects andinitiatives and their impacts.
Jessica Tong
Jess (she/they) is a first-generation, young, queer farmer. She has familial roots in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Scarborough, ON. She is the Land Access Coordinator with the NFU-Ontario. After studying agriculture, Jess worked on several farms throughout Ontario. Alongside her partner, she started and operated a small market-garden that sold at Farmers’ Markets, a Food Co-op and through a CSA program. She has experience leasing land, growing via incubatorships as well as purchasing/stewarding (and losing) farmland. Jess comes into this work with the intention of building meaningful relationships with the land, nourishing community connections and uplifting intersectional food sovereignty movements. These intentions are grounded by the past and present work already being done by amazing communities beyond her.
Phil Mount
Born and raised on a dairy farm in eastern Ontario, Phil is NFU’s Vice-President for Policy. Phil has a research background in political economy and sustainable regional food systems and, along with his partner, Denise, is currently developing joint food and farm enterprises—expanding both a mixed Katahdin flock at Flat Earth Farm, and a processing and food service enterprise at The Sheepdog Grill.
Cathy Holtslander
Cathy is the Director of Research and Policy at the National Farmers Union where she does policy research, analysis and writing articles and briefs on NFU policy issues, and works with NFU committees to support members addressing policy issues. Prior to joining the NFU staff in 2011 she worked in several education and environmental and farm advocacy positions, and earned an M.A. in adult education as well as B.A. degrees in Sociology and Regional and Urban Development. She and her partner have operated a certified organic grain farm near Mont Nebo, SK since 2009.
Presentation: Building power, growing our movements
Friday, November 21
2:00 PM
Grassroots organizing. We have – or can create – more power than you might think! Robin will share her experiences and insights in an inspiring and thought-provoking talk to kick off our afternoon discussions.
Robin Tress
Robin Tress lives in Punamu’kwati’jk in Mi’kma’ki, currently known as Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She was politicized by former PM Harper’s multiple assaults on democracy, climate justice, women’s rights, and Indigenous peoples, and has been fighting for a more just and sustainable future ever since. She worked with Mi’kmaq water protectors in the fight to stop Alton Gas in Nova Scotia for several years, and this deeply shaped her understanding and approach to solidarity, relationship to land, and social movement strategy. She can often be found picking slugs off her tomatoes between zoom meetings.
Convention Sponsors
