Federal Government releases plan to strengthen internal trade

TORONTO — The new Federal Action Plan outlines a strategy to accelerate efforts to remove barriers to trade and make life more affordable for Canadians.

Since the signing of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) in 2017, the Government of Canada, working with provinces and territories, has achieved progress to reduce barriers to trade and labour mobility, including the removal of federal restrictions on the interprovincial movement of alcohol, and advancing regulatory in sectors including agri-food, transportation, energy and occupational health and safety.

The Action Plan contains five elements:

• the launch of the first pan-Canadian Internal Trade Information Hub to provide critical, open and accessible data on internal trade in Canada;
• stakeholder engagement to better understand what can be done to support internal trade around the country;
• research to identify and address trade barriers;
• enhanced funding for the Internal Trade Secretariat, and
• a review of the CFTA to reduce federal exemptions, with a focus on government procurement.

The pan-Canadian Internal Trade Data and Information Hub will contain data, making it more readily available and accessible for Canadian workers wishing to work in a different province or territory, and businesses wishing to expand to new markets within Canada. In the coming months, the government will consult with stakeholders on trade barriers and how best to address them.

“Our government is leading efforts to make it easier for entrepreneurs to do business and for workers to get a job. Working with provinces and territories, we will continue to remove barriers to internal trade and build an economy that works for everyone,” said Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.

During the plan announcement, Minister Dominic LeBlanc discussed the federal government’s leadership on the inclusion of non-medical cannabis in the CFTA, progress on the negotiation of a CFTA financial services chapter, and collaboration between the federal government and the Territories to advance food security in the North.

Minister LeBlanc underscored the need to improve labour mobility in healthcare, manufacturing, and the building trades sectors.