Toronto, March 24, 2026 – With federal, provincial, and territorial ministers set to meet next week for the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT), the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling on governments to build on recent progress and ensure reforms translate into real improvements for small businesses trying to operate across provincial and territorial borders.
“Canada has seen more movement on internal trade over the past year than we have in nearly a decade,” said Keyli Loeppky, CFIB’s director of interprovincial affairs. “The signing of the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement (CMRA) on the Sale of Goods and the introduction of mutual recognition legislation show governments are serious about tackling barriers. But momentum alone isn’t enough — businesses need clear rules, consistent implementation, and fewer exceptions.”
According to CFIB’s latest State of Internal Trade report, business owners continue to face obstacles such as duplicative testing requirements, inconsistent provincial regulations, and restrictions on moving goods and services across provincial borders.
“Small businesses are encouraged by recent announcements, but they’re also worried governments could replace old barriers with new, more complicated ones,” Loeppky added. “Reciprocal requirements, broad exceptions, and slow pilot projects risk recreating the same patchwork of rules that has held back Canada’s internal trade market for years.”
While the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on the Sale of Goods is an important step forward, CFIB warns that inconsistent implementation or excessive carveouts could limit its impact. At the same time, major barriers remain in key sectors important to small businesses, including all services, food, alcohol, and labour mobility. Alcohol remains a clear example of slow implementation. The deadline for direct-to-consumer alcohol shipment is just two months away (May 2026), yet most provinces have made little visible progress, with the exception of New Brunswick and Manitoba.
To ensure recent progress leads to real change, CFIB is urging the Committee on Internal Trade to prioritize several actions at its upcoming meeting, including:
• Quickly expand Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement to include all services, food, alcohol, and labour mobility.
• Ensuring consistent and transparent implementation of the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on the Sale of Goods.
• Removing reciprocal requirements from mutual recognition legislation to reduce red tape.
• Publishing details of the interprovincial trucking agreement and its implementation timelines.
• Resolving federal–provincial barriers preventing provincially inspected food products from moving freely across Canada.
• Accelerating timelines for direct-to-consumer alcohol shipments.
“Small businesses are ready to grow, hire, and expand across Canada,” concluded Loeppky. “Governments have an opportunity right now to turn momentum into meaningful change. Acting decisively will help unlock economic potential and make Canada’s economy stronger and more competitive.”
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.
Print Article
Share Article
