January 16, 2024 – The Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) has undergone amendments to expand its scope to cover trade in non-medical cannabis and offer clarifications to the interpretation of Annex 309 and Chapter Nine (Party-Specific Exceptions).

At the conclusion of a meeting of the Committee on Internal Trade held in December 2022, Ministers announced the successful completion of negotiations to incorporate non-medical cannabis trade under the CFTA. Subsequently, officials drafted the Second Protocol of Amendment, which outlines the necessary amendments to the CFTA. This protocol also includes the integration of Interpretative Note No. 1, which had previously provided guidance on the interpretation of Annex 309 and Chapter Nine, as well as some minor changes related to Yukon’s procurement exception.

All 14 Parties to the CFTA have now ratified the Second Protocol of Amendment, a copy of which is available at https://www.cfta-alec.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Second-Protocol-of-Amendment-CFTA-January-16-2024.pdf, thereby giving effect to these amendments. The updated CFTA is now available for reference on the CFTA website at https://www.cfta-alec.ca/canadian-free-trade-agreement/.

Moving forward, Parties remain committed to fostering collaboration to continue advancing the implementation of the CFTA to eliminate internal trade barriers and foster the free flow of goods, services, labour, and investments across the diverse regions of Canada.