On February 21st, 2025, the Honorable Anita Anand, Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, announced the removal of an additional 20 federal exceptions to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, reducing the number of federal exceptions from 39 to 19. Most of these exceptions related to government procurement, further providing Canadian businesses with greater opportunities to compete across the country.
The removal of such barriers comes at a critical time for Canada. As we prepare our domestic economy to respond to potential tariffs from the United States, eliminating barriers to internal trade will reduce business costs, increase productivity, and could add up to $200 billion to the Canadian economy.
The Government of Canada is committed to building and strengthening the economy, as well as collaborating with provinces and territories to enhance internal trade and labor mobility across the country. It is our duty to reduce the burden on Canadian businesses and ensure their prosperity.
We are stronger when we work together, as a team from coast to coast to coast. Our government is here to protect the interests of our businesses and workers and to put Canadians first.