{"id":15204,"date":"2025-02-05T17:08:53","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T17:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/05\/canada-can-do-substantial-work-fast-on-internal-trade-minister-says-national\/"},"modified":"2025-02-05T17:08:53","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T17:08:53","slug":"canada-can-do-substantial-work-fast-on-internal-trade-minister-says-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/05\/canada-can-do-substantial-work-fast-on-internal-trade-minister-says-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada can do \u2018substantial\u2019 work fast on internal trade, minister says – National"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Canada is making \u201cincredible\u201d progress in removing three major internal trade barriers, Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand<\/a> told reporters in Halifax on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

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Anand described the work as \u201cfast-paced progress with all of the provinces and territories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had an urgent meeting on Friday of the relevant ministers. At that meeting, we reached three strong recommendations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s Committee on Internal Trade met last week to discuss how to open up trade between Canada\u2019s provinces. Anand said the first major recommendation that the committee agreed to implement is mutual recognition of regulations across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is, in other words, respecting the rules in place in other jurisdictions. So, you don\u2019t have to comply, if you\u2019re a trucker, with moving your lights to a slightly different location if you cross a provincial boundary,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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She added, \u201cSecondly, we all agreed to reduce the exceptions in the Canadian Free Trade Act.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) is an intergovernmental trade agreement signed by the federal government and all 13 provinces and territories that entered into force in July 2017.<\/p>\n

It governs the internal flow of goods between the country\u2019s different jurisdictions.<\/p>\n

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Anand said the committee also agreed to make labour mobility across Canada smoother, making it easier for a professional certified in one province to practice in another.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you\u2019re a construction worker or a nurse or a doctor, you don\u2019t have to reapply for permits and licenses simply because you\u2019re going where demand is taking you to another part of the country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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Anand said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning to meet with the premiers Wednesday, where they will discuss these measures.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will be attending that meeting to discuss these very recommendations and the momentum is palpable. The moment is here and we are seizing the moment,\u201d Anand said.<\/p>\n

She said Ottawa will also change procurement rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to put on the table the removal of exceptions in the area of procurement so that we don\u2019t have as many restrictions relating to who can compete for federal contracts.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Anand said Ottawa will also cut the red tape, to avoid duplication between federal government rules and provincial and territorial regulations.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to see these barriers coming down and there is no need for legislation in order for that to happen,\u201d she said. Any legislation would not be able to be passed while Parliament is prorogued, and it is not set to return until March 24 \u2014 but that could be longer if an election is called before that.<\/p>\n