The federal government has announced regional and national consultations with Canada’s industry, businesses, labour representatives, and other stakeholders over the coming month to inform the drafting and development of regulations for the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act.
According to Canada’s news release, as part of the One Canadian Economy legislation, the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act aims to:
- build a stronger, more competitive, and more resilient Canadian economy
- address federal barriers to interprovincial trade and labour mobility by recognizing comparable provincial or territorial regulatory requirements
- help Canadian workers and businesses deal with fewer challenges as they move goods, offer services, and seek work opportunities across the country
To implement the legislation, Canada’s government is developing regulations to be published this fall.
The regulations will specify requirements, including what would make federal requirements comparable to the current provincial and territorial ones. It will also identify possible exceptions to the legislation to protect the environment and Canadians’ health, safety, security, and social and economic well-being.
“We are listening to and answering the calls from business and industry to remove barriers to trade between Canada’s provinces and territories,” said Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s minister of transport and internal trade, in the news release.
“We are working with them every step of the way to remove the federal red tape and give Canadians lower prices and more choice,” Freeland added. “Together, we will build the strongest economy in the G7.”
Public input
In its news release, federal government invited interested parties to offer their feedback in the following ways:
- Participate in regional engagement through a series of roundtable meetings and in-person and virtual meetings across the country in cooperation with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, with the involvement of hundreds of representatives from a broad array of industries, including agriculture, agri-food, manufacturing, labour, and transportation
- Directly submit their written submissions by Aug. 22
In its news release, Canada stressed that internal trade is a key driver of the country’s economy. Canada added that removing internal trade obstacles will help decrease the prices on everyday items, offer more choices for Canadians, promote productivity, and add up to $200 billion to the economy.