The Federal Action Plan to Strengthen Internal Trade is a “positive first step”, according to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
“The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is pleased to see the government’s commitment to improving Canada’s internal trade through the Federal Action Plan to Strengthen Internal Trade. This is a positive step forward — now the federal government must urgently implement the strategy,” says Robin Guy, The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Senior Director of Transportation, Infrastructure & Regulatory Policy. “Making Canada an attractive destination for business investment that supports economic growth requires getting the fundamentals right and maintaining a predictable regulatory environment. Progress on strengthening interprovincial trade and reducing barriers are necessary to attaining that stability and present a significant economic opportunity.”
Guy said the Canadian Chamber was pleased to see many of its recommendations included in the action plan, such as launching the first Pan-Canadian Internal Trade Information Hub to provide critical, open and accessible data on internal trade in Canada.
Here is a more detailed look at the Canadian Chamber’s recommendations to Ottawa.
The Action Plan outlines a strategy to accelerate efforts to remove barriers to trade. It contains five key elements:
- the launch of the first pan-Canadian Internal Trade Information Hub to provide critical, open and accessible data on internal trade in Canada;
- stakeholder engagement to better understand what can be done to support internal trade around the country;
- research to identify and address trade barriers;
- enhanced funding for the Internal Trade Secretariat, and
- a review of the CFTA to reduce federal exemptions, with a focus on government procurement.
The pan-Canadian Internal Trade Data and Information Hub will be a one-stop-shop for data, the government says, making it more readily available and accessible for Canadian workers wishing to work in a different province or territory, and businesses wishing to expand to new markets within Canada. In the coming months, the federal government will consult with stakeholders on trade barriers and how best to address them.
