Ottawa, May 13, 2026 – Jasmin Guenette, Vice-President of National Affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), released the following statement in support of Bill S-239:
“The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) supports Senate Bill S‑239 as a constructive step toward strengthening internal trade across Canada. While the bill will not eliminate all remaining interprovincial trade barriers, it introduces an important accountability mechanism that encourages federal, provincial, and territorial governments to respond to recommendations from the Competition Bureau aimed at removing internal barriers to the movement of goods, services and people within Canada.
For small and medium-sized businesses, unnecessary internal trade barriers continue to add costs, limit growth opportunities, and restrict access to talent and markets. For consumers, this means higher prices and less choice. Greater transparency and accountability in how governments address these barriers will help ensure meaningful progress and keep internal trade reform on the national agenda.
CFIB believes S‑239 can complement ongoing efforts under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement and Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement by encouraging governments to act on commitments and deliver real results for Canadian businesses. We urge policymakers to build on this momentum and pursue further reforms to create a more open, competitive, and efficient domestic market.”
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Dariya Baiguzhiyeva, CFIB
647-464-2814
public.affairs@cfib.ca
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 103,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.
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