We have partnered with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and our fellow provincial chamber partners and to send a letter to the Council of the Federation ahead of its meeting, taking place later this month, to urge Canada’s premiers to remove the barriers to internal trade and mobility.
The Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT), which governs Canada’s internal market, was negotiated 20 years ago. We find that it no longer responds to today’s economic and commercial realities. While there have been some helpful changes over the years, the agreement as currently written no longer does our economy justice. Internal trade barriers continue to impede the free movement of people and goods between Canada’s provinces. These barriers often arise as a result of minor differences in standards, certifications or regulations. The red tape these differences impose on businesses and the economic toll they place on our competitiveness have become intolerable.
New international trade agreements, like the one with the European Union, are much more ambitious and comprehensive in scope than the AIT. As Canada continues to remove barriers between our country and the rest of the world, it is time to make the creation of an integrated, efficient Canadian economy a priority.
