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.”
Keyli Loeppky
The CFIB said 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.”
SeoRhin Yoo
The CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 members across every industry and region.
Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi is Managing Editor of Canada’s Entrepreneur. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He was named in 2021 and 2024 as one of the top business journalists in the world by PR News. He was also named by RETHINK to its global list of Top Retail Experts 2024 and 2025.
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