Domestic trade

Non-tariff barriers can hamper free trade within Canada. These barriers may include differing government procurement practices, regulations and standards, transportation codes and limits on flows of investment and workers. In addition to increasing the cost of doing business and limiting innovation, internal trade barriers harm our international reputation as a place to do business.

Domestic trade agreements seek to reduce and eliminate barriers to the inter-provincial movement of goods, persons, services and investment, and to bring about a more open and stable domestic commercial environment within Canada.

The federal government and provinces, including British Columbia, have been working for some time to remove or reduce barriers to internal trade.