Provinces and territories, along with the federal government, have been making specific efforts to address internal trade barriers for almost 20 years. In July 1994, Premiers concluded a comprehensive set of negotiations with the signing of the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT). The AIT established a framework of rules to govern internal trade and applied these rules in each of ten areas where interprovincial barriers had been identified. However, there were a number of issues that were not resolved in the agreement and continued negotiations were called for on these issues.
In recent years these negotiations have resumed. At the foundational meeting of the Council of the Federation in December 2003, Premiers identified strengthening the economic union, including enhancing internal trade as a priority area for cooperative intergovernmental action. The Workplan on Internal Trade was approved by the Council of the Federation at their February 24, 2004 meeting. Since then there have been several meetings of ministers, and two progress reports have been released.
For more information about the Agreement on Internal Trade, visit the website of the AIT Secretariat (www.ait-aci.ca). |
