Promoting domestic trade of agricultural and agri-food products by reducing interprovincial barriers : Report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food

PROMOTING DOMESTIC TRADE OF AGRICULTURAL AND AGRI-FOOD PRODUCTS BY REDUCING INTERPROVINCIAL BARRIERS Report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food Bev Shipley Chair JUNE 2015 41st PARLIAMENT, SECOND SESSION Published under the authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons SPEAKER’S PERMISSION Reproduction of the proceedings of the House of Commons and its Committees, in whole o [...] On 29 August 2014, the provincial and territorial premiers agreed to continue efforts to strengthen and update the AIT, with the goal of concluding negotiations with the federal government by March 2016 at the latest. [...] Recommendation 5: The Committee recommends that the federal government work with the provinces and territories to modernize the Agreement on Internal Trade in accordance with international trade agreements, specifically to include general free trade principles that would apply to all sectors and stipulate the measures or sectors that would not be subject to the Agreement. [...] The inclusion of regulatory and support provisions in the AIT would enable governments across the country to agree on certain parameters, in particular a science-based approach for sanitary regulations, and would facilitate the introduction of a national approach without depriving the provinces of their right to develop their own laws and regulations. [...] Recommendation 6: The Committee recommends that the federal government work with the provinces and territories to ensure the Agreement on Internal Trade includes provisions to discipline certain regulatory and support measures so that these measures to not create barriers to interprovincial trade.