Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Chrystia Freeland attended a Committee on Internal Trade meeting alongside her provincial and territorial counterparts Tuesday. In the press release on the meeting's details, it was stated the "ministers have advanced internal trade discussions further than ever before."They called the meeting "an opportunity to review and advance progress on the recommendations endorsed by First Ministers in February 2025."The report notes parties have removed 30% of Party Specific Exceptions (PSEs) from the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), and the Mutual Recognition Pilot Project in the trucking sector (MRPP) was discussed, with ministers expected to reach an agreement by fall 2025. .The MRPP is being considered by some Western provinces, including Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Its purpose is to recognize interprovincial regulatory requirements in the trucking sector, with the potential to add an additional $200 billion to Canada's economy each year. Speaking on CBC yesterday, Freeland stated, "there is a wide range of estimates for the economic benefit of bringing trade barriers down to zero."She went on to add, "no one is saying this will happen tomorrow."In the Bill C-5 press release, it is stated that the bill lifts federal exemptions from the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) — exemptions that "focus on procurement — providing Canadian businesses with more opportunities to be competitive across the country. For example, as part of the latest review, the federal government is removing procurement exceptions related to financial entities, commercial land development, transportation services and space projects."
