Economic Development Minister Ranj Pillai chaired the annual meeting of the Committee on Internal Trade today in Toronto. Federal, provincial and territorial Ministers and their delegates gathered from across the country to discuss crucial topics on domestic trade.
The Committee advanced a number of key items, including the negotiations on trade in non-medical cannabis and financial services, as well as a path forward on supporting the food sector in the territories. Ministers also shared and discussed updates related to federal initiatives, labour mobility and the work of the Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table.
As part of his reflections on the progress made since the signing of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement in 2017, Minister Pillai announced the removal of five of the Yukon’s party-specific exceptions. A technical review identified these exceptions as having no real impact, and their removal from the agreement helps the ongoing efforts to reduce red tape for businesses operating in the territory.
This meeting was the first in-person session of the Committee since 2019.
I am grateful for the opportunity to chair this year’s meeting of the Committee on Internal Trade, and to join my fellow Ministers and appointed officials from all across Canada to discuss important topics in domestic trade. We have made it a priority to remove barriers to internal trade in this country and I am confident that by working alongside my fellow Ministers, we have made significant progress and formulated the next steps in fulfilling our ambitious objectives within the Canadian Free Trade Agreement. We are pleased to be the jurisdiction announcing the most party-specific exception removals in time for CIT 2022, reflecting the Yukon’s commitment to red tape reduction.
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The Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) is an intergovernmental trade agreement with the objective to reduce and eliminate trade barriers and establish a stable open market in Canada.
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The following five Yukon-specific exceptions were removed from the CFTA:
- One government procurement exception with a transitional timeline that has since expired;
- Three exceptions for authorizations relating to agriculture, grazing and forestry; and;
- One exception for recycling services as there is no existing policy or future intention to restrict market access for recycling services in the Yukon. Members of the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) meet annually to discuss their continued efforts to strengthen internal trade in Canada.
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The Yukon is this year’s CIT Chair. The role of Chair rotates annually, with Saskatchewan taking the role in 2023.
Renée Francoeur
Cabinet Communications
867-334-9194
renee.francoeur@yukon.ca
Elsie Jordan
Communications, Economic Development
867-471-0933
elsie.jordan@yukon.ca