Driving Progress on Internal Trade
Strategic Vision
The Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) aims to reduce and eliminate, where possible, barriers to the free movement of workers, goods, services and investments in Canada. Building on this solid foundation, the 2024-2027 Internal Trade Action Plan aims to guide the collective efforts of the federal, provincial and territorial governments, with a view to stimulating interprovincial trade and continuing to advance internal trade.
Objectives & Outcomes
- Increase awareness and better communicate the strengths of Canada’s internal trade environment to champion the Canadian economic advantage.
- Reduce regulatory and administrative burdens to bolster the competitiveness of Canadian companies and unlock new opportunities for trade between provinces and territories.
- Enhance our understanding of internal trade across Canada to help guide and prioritize government efforts to continue opening doors for new trade opportunities.
- Strengthen government collaboration and further facilitate labour mobility to promote the free movement of qualified workers across Canada.
Delivering Results
Through continued collaboration and coordination amongst federal, provincial, and territorial governments, this Action Plan sets out a series of initiatives aimed at delivering concrete results on internal trade for all Canadians, such as:
- Identifying trade irritants and barriers experienced by Canadian workers and businesses by hearing from them directly through a new online stakeholder feedback tool and by convening a stakeholder forum;
- Supporting efforts to mutually recognize regulations and standards across the country, including through the development of improved tools, such as BizPal, a partnership involving governments at the federal, provincial, territorial and municipal levels, to better understand regulatory differences and their impacts on businesses and workers; and,
- Enhancing labour mobility in Canada by studying innovative labour mobility initiatives being undertaken by individual provinces and territories, as well as internationally, to determine their potential for broader adoption in Canada.