Meeting of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee of Ministers on Internal Trade

June 15, 2021

Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers responsible for Internal Trade made further progress on improvements to Canada’s Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT).

In particular, Ministers were pleased to approve amendments to the AIT to ensure a more effective Person-to-Government dispute settlement process. The amendments include the introduction of monetary penalties for non-compliance with panel reports, as currently applies for Government-to-Government disputes, as well as changes resulting from a review to ensure procedural fairness and consistency. Ministers also approved an interpretive note regarding the Chapter on Agricultural and Food Goods.

The Honourable David Ramsay, Minister for Industry, Tourism and Investment for the Northwest Territories and Chair of the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT), stated that “a credible, enforceable and accessible dispute settlement mechanism is an essential element to an effective AIT and its objective of establishing an open, efficient and stable domestic market”.

Ministers agreed to further work necessary to reconcile corporate registration and to continue to review business licensing issues.
Ministers also agreed to explore the possibility and parameters of a new chapter for the AIT on technical barriers to trade, which could strengthen commitments to transparency of the regulatory process and the reconciliation of standards across Canada.

Recognizing the linkages between the AIT and international trade agreements, Ministers directed that work continue with regard to the development of options for addressing situations where foreign interests may receive more favourable treatment under an international agreement than domestic interests receive under the AIT.

The federal government will chair the next annual meeting of the CIT scheduled for June 2013.
Established under the AIT, the Committee on Internal Trade meets annually to review progress on reducing or eliminating barriers to trade, investment and labour mobility across Canada.