Industry Minister Moore applauds commitment by all of Canada's provinces and territories to renew Agreement on Internal Trade
June 9, 2015 – Toronto, Ontario – Industry Canada
Today Industry Minister James Moore met with his provincial and territorial counterparts in Toronto to discuss negotiations and progress on modernizing Canada's internal trade framework. The meeting sends a strong signal about the importance of the issues being negotiated and the need to accelerate the work toward a new agreement. All ministers agreed to complete renegotiations by March 2016.
Minister Moore welcomed the progress that has been made, particularly on the federal priority areas of regulatory reform, procurement and expanding the scope of the agreement as outlined in the strategy released by the Minister in August 2014, called One Canada, One National Economy: Modernizing Internal Trade in Canada. The Minister reiterated his commitment to working with the provinces and territories to reach an ambitious agreement as quickly as possible.
During the meeting, Minister Moore provided an update on the work being undertaken by the federal government, including the creation of the Internal Trade Promotion Office to act as a hub for research and analysis on trade within Canada, and the development of the Internal Trade Barriers Index to provide more reliable information on the state of internal trade in Canada.
Minister Moore noted that engaging business is critical to shaping a new agreement and welcomed the participation of Canadian business leaders at the meeting.
Jake Enwright
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Industry
343-291-2500
Media Relations
Industry Canada
343-291-1777
media-relations@ic.gc.ca
