MEDIA ADVISORY - COMMITTEE ON INTERNAL TRADE MEETING

QUÉBEC CITY, July 7, 2025 /CNW/ - The Honourable Caitlin Cleveland, Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Investment for the Northwest Territories, as Chair of the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) for 2025, and the Honourable Christopher Skeete, Minister for the Economy for Québec, as host of the CIT meeting, will hold a media availability alongside CIT representatives from the federal, provincial, and territorial governments.

Date: 

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Time:             

3:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. EDT

Registration: 

Media representatives who wish to attend the event in person can register in advance at [email protected].

Those wishing to attend virtually must register using the following Zoom link: https://ca01web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Mcj1amNAQQW4Gy7SwAQFeA.

QUICK FACTS

Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)

• The CFTA is a consensus-based agreement, that is overseen by the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT), which is comprised of Federal Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers responsible for internal trade.  The Northwest Territories is the 2025 Chair of the CIT.
• The CFTA establishes rules that apply across the Canadian economy and govern pan-Canadian trade. Rules apply automatically to all economic activity unless something is specifically excluded.
• Exclusions occur within the CFTA, such as through General Exceptions (Chapter 8), Party-Specific Exceptions (Annex 1, Annex 2, and Procurement), Legitimate Objectives, and Non-Application Exceptions (such as in Chapter 5).

Internal Trade

• Over $530 billion worth of goods and services moves across provincial and territorial borders every year—equal to 20 per cent of Canada's gross domestic product. In 2023, one-third of Canadian businesses participated in internal trade by buying or selling goods across provincial and territorial borders.
• In comparison, in 2023, Canada was the United States' largest trading partner, with more than $1.3 trillion worth of bilateral trade in goods and services.

Committee on Internal Trade & Recent Accomplishments

• The CIT is comprised of FPT ministers responsible for supervising the implementation of the CFTA, including oversight of a number of working groups established under the Agreement, assisting in the resolution of disputes, approving the annual operating budget of the Internal Trade Secretariat (ITS), and considering any other matter that may affect the operation of the CFTA.
• July 8's Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) meeting in Québec City marks the seventh gathering of 2025 demonstrating an unprecedented level of collaboration and urgency.
• On February 28, 2025, the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Committee on Internal Trade was convened and agreed to the following actions:
  • Enhancing the CFTA: All governments committed to conducting a rapid review of all remaining party-specific exceptions in the CFTA and swiftly conclude negotiations for incorporating the financial services Sector into the Agreement. This will ensure a free and open internal market for Canadian businesses and workers. Building on removals some governments have completed since 2017, to date, a minimum of 40 exceptions have been identified for removal by five governments, with all exception reviews to be completed by June 1, 2025.
  • Reducing regulatory and administrative burdens through mutual recognition: A strong domestic market starts with goods freely moving between provinces and territories. Building on the pilot project on mutual recognition in trucking, all governments have now agreed to immediately launch negotiations for mutual recognition of all consumer goods (excluding food). This would guarantee that a good certified in one province can be bought and sold in any other, without additional red tape. Parties may also pursue a broader mutual recognition agreement covering most or all sectors of the economy through unilateral, bilateral, or multilateral initiatives. The Committee on Internal Trade committed to tabling an Action Plan for Mutual Recognition of Consumer Goods by March 31, 2025.
  • Facilitating labour mobility: Internal trade and labour market ministers will prioritize efforts to further improve transparency and reduce the administrative burden for labour mobility applicants to support the timely and seamless mobility of workers to fill jobs wherever they are available, including by adopting a service standard of 30 days or better to process applications.
  • Launching pan-Canadian direct-to-consumer alcohol sales for Canadian products: The Governments of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Canada have committed to improving the trade of alcohol products between participating jurisdictions by advancing direct-to-consumer sales for Canadian products. Currently, British Columbia allows for direct-to-consumer sales for wine, while Manitoba is already open to direct-to-consumer sales on all alcoholic beverages. The Yukon is exploring options for direct-to-consumer alcohol sales within the territory.
  • Employing a Team Canada approach to promote the domestic economy: All governments committed to working together to promote growth and resiliency in the domestic market by helping Canadian businesses identify and access new opportunities in other provinces and territories, including through domestic trade missions.

SOURCE Internal Trade Secretariat

Contacts: For more information (media only), please contact: Andrée Dupont, Internal Trade Officer, [phone] (mobile), [email protected]