OTTAWA, APRIL 7, 2017 — The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) welcomes today’s announcement that Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments have concluded negotiations on a new Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) aimed at supporting Canadian businesses in reaching new customers across the country.
While changes under the CFTA may take time to implement, the agreement’s conclusion represents a commitment to reducing barriers to interprovincial trade. CFA has advocated on the need to modernize internal trade systems, and included this point as a key recommendation in last year’s pre-budget consultations.
“There’s clear a commitment shown in the CFTA to harmonize regulations and standards wherever possible, and to take a transparent approach in implementing changes” said Ron Bonnett, CFA President. “CFA is pleased that the agreement is structured to facilitate the flow of goods using an over-arching non-discrimination principle. This will ensure that technical aspects don’t create unnecessary barriers to trade within our own borders.”
In particular, CFA looks forward getting more details about the newly announced Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table, a body that will be established to coordinate processes for resolving trade barriers when they are identified by provinces and territories, with input from stakeholders.
In its advocacy work over the last year, CFA noted several areas in which farmers face difficulties in interprovincial trade. Some examples include trucking transportation regulations and differing requirements between federally- and provincially-regulated meat processing plants.
Media Contact:
Janice Hall
CFA Director of Communications
Phone: 613-236-3633 ext. 2322
Email: communications@canadian-farmers.ca