Less talk, more action: Canadian small businesses demand more from leaders on internal trade

TORONTO, Nov. 17, 2025 /CNW/ - As the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) convenes this week, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling on governments to move beyond symbolic gestures and deliver concrete, measurable progress on eliminating internal trade barriers.

"While this past year has been a turning point for internal trade, governments keep signing agreements that look good on paper, but don't translate into fewer barriers and lower costs on the ground," said Keyli Loeppky, CFIB's director of interprovincial affairs. "Amid ongoing trade tensions, we need governments to get out of the way of small businesses. What kind of message are we sending to our international trading partners when we can't even fix trade barriers at home? It's ridiculous that it's often easier and cheaper to ship food or alcohol products to other countries than to a neighbouring province or territory. We're calling for bold action to ensure another signed agreement is not just a patchwork of rules or recycled announcements that only add more red tape."

The CIT has committed to a December 2025 deadline for a pan-Canadian mutual recognition agreement on goods (one that excludes food and alcohol). Currently, nine jurisdictions have already introduced their own mutual recognition legislation. While there's been a wave of signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) by various jurisdictions over the summer, a patchwork approach to mutual recognition can result in overlapping and confusing rules instead of reducing trade barriers for all Canadians.

CFIB is calling on governments to:

• Expand mutual recognition agreements to include food, alcohol, labour and services.
• End jurisdictional finger-pointing and align federal and provincial efforts on internal food trade.
• Enable direct-to-consumer shipment of alcohol prior to May 2026.
• Publish a multi-year action plan with clear timelines, deliverables and accountability.

"Small businesses are tired of waiting. Every delay and meaningless MOU means lost opportunities, higher costs for Canadians, and more frustrations," said SeoRhin Yoo, CFIB's senior policy analyst for interprovincial affairs. "We need a coordinated, transparent plan that transforms how we move goods and services across the country – not just more talk."

CFIB will be closely watching the outcomes of this week's CIT meeting and expects governments to deliver real reforms.

About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada's largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners' chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Independent Business

For media enquiries or interviews, please contact: Dariya Baiguzhiyeva, CFIB, 647-464-2814, [email protected]