Statement from Minister Anand on progress from the Committee on Internal Trade

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 21, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, at the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) meeting, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, and her provincial and territorial counterparts discussed the progress being made to improve trade within Canada.

Following the meeting, Minister Anand issued the following statement:

"I want to thank my CIT counterparts, particularly Minister Caitlin Cleveland, the Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Investment for Northwest Territories, for chairing today's meeting. The discussions between the provinces and territories are energetic, and we are working at an unprecedented rate towards removing barriers to internal trade and labour mobility, for Canadian workers and businesses to succeed.

Today's discussion focused on steps being taken to:

• eliminate exceptions to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA);
• make it easier for businesses to access financial services by including the sector in the CFTA;
• prioritize the removal of regulatory and administrative barriers to the movement of goods in Canada;
• ensure workers can work in any jurisdiction in this country without delay; and
• make it easier to buy and sell Canadian goods from one another.

This work builds on progress made from previous CIT meetings, including launching a pilot project on mutual recognition in the trucking sector. Under this pilot project, all provinces and territories will recognize each other's regulatory requirements, even where differences exist, to allow trucks and the goods they carry to move across Canada more effectively, without compromising safety and security measures. Reducing the regulatory barriers and red tape within our domestic supply chains will support greater shipping and efficiency, and lower transportation costs, which has been highlighted as a common obstacle to internal trade in the Canadian Survey on Interprovincial Trade.

Now more than ever, we need to come together for Canadians. The upside to eliminating these barriers has always been clear—the prospect of lower prices, higher productivity, attracting investment to Canada, and adding up to $200 billion to the Canadian economy.

The Government of Canada has shown strong leadership in strengthening internal trade by harmonizing regulations, cutting red tape, and supporting skilled trades. But there's still more to do, together with our provincial and territorial partners.

We will continue this momentum, and will have further updates to provide following the next CIT meeting on February 28 in Toronto."

Associated Links

• Internal Trade
• Federal Action Plan to Strengthen Internal Trade
• Canadian Internal Trade Data and Information Hub
• Internal Trade Results for Canadians
• Trucking pilot to improve movement of goods
• Ministers meet to drive progress on internal trade
• Committee on Internal Trade discusses bold actions to enhance Canada's internal market

SOURCE Minister of Transport and Internal Trade