Ottawa – Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced that the Government of Canada is removing barriers to help commerce move more freely within Canada.
Trade within Canada is a key piece of our economy. It drives commerce, creates jobs, facilitates business expansion and gives Canadians more choice. This is why we are taking action and leadership by addressing long-standing internal trade barriers, and removing or narrowing one-third of all federal exceptions under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA).
Business community leaders, such as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Business Council of Canada and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, note that reducing the number of exceptions in the CFTA will help strengthen internal trade and support the productivity of Canada’s economy. We have heard from stakeholders and in response, the Government of Canada has removed or narrowed 17, or one third, of its federal exceptions in the CFTA. Most of the exceptions removed relate to federal government procurement, providing Canadian businesses with more opportunities to be competitive across the country.
Already, the Government of Canada has shown leadership in strengthening internal trade through the implementation of key measures, including the launch of the Canadian Internal Trade Data and Information Hub, engagement with stakeholders and industry, and work with provinces and territories to advance regulatory and internal trade cooperative efforts to eliminate barriers.
These efforts were recognized in the annual Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) State of Internal Trade: Canada’s Interprovincial Cooperation Report Card. The report grades federal, provincial and territorial governments’ efforts to address interprovincial trade barriers. This year, the Government of Canada received a significantly improved rating of “B”, the third highest rating of all federal, provincial and territorial governments.
As the government continues to work towards making further changes to the CFTA, even though the actions taken today have removed the most significant barriers to success for businesses, we encourage all provinces and territories to similarly take steps to publicly share the rationales for any of their remaining exceptions.
The Government of Canada will continue to build on these successes and collaborate with provinces and territories to accelerate efforts to advance internal trade across the country. This includes developing a comprehensive Federal Framework on Mutual Recognition, which will help us bring provinces and territories to the table with the goal of cutting red tape and allowing goods and services to move freely across the country. This includes moving towards full labour mobility in the construction, health, and childcare sectors. Canada’s economy will best succeed when all orders of government are working towards a common goal.
“The further removal of exceptions under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement reflects our government’s commitment to listen to industry and help Canadian businesses get their incredible products to more consumers. We will keep taking action within our areas of jurisdiction to strengthen our supply chains, grow the economy, and make life more affordable for all Canadians, while encouraging our provincial and territorial partners to do the same.” – Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs