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  • Joint Chambers of the Federation Letter- Sustaining Momentum on Internal Trade and Economic Cooperation Across Canada

    Joint Chambers of the Federation Letter- Sustaining Momentum on Internal Trade and Economic Cooperation Across Canada

    Dear Premiers,
     
    On behalf of Canada’s provincial and territorial Chambers of Commerce, we commend you for the leadership and momentum emerging from the recent First Ministers’ meeting in Saskatoon. As you  prepare for next month’s Council of the Federation meeting in Ontario, we encourage you to build on this progress to advance our shared economic priorities.
    We are encouraged by historic alignment between businesses and governments across the country. Chambers of commerce, employers, and industry leaders are united in calling for bold action on internal trade, nation-building infrastructure, labour mobility, and procurement reform. 
    Governments are responding in kind, with meaningful progress underway in several provinces and territories.

    We applaud this leadership and the tangible progress underway in the following areas:
     
    •  Interprovincial trade and labour mobility: Provinces and territories have made significant strides in committing to reduce barriers to internal trade and labour mobility:
    • Nova Scotia passed its Free Trade and Mobility within Canada Act, 2025.
    • o Ontario passed the Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act, 2025 expanding “as- of-right” credential recognition, mandating clear regulatory timelines, and increasing transparency. The province also signed mutual recognition memoranda of understanding with Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island.
    •  Manitoba passed Bill 47: The Fair Trade in Canada (Internal Trade Mutual Recognition) Act, which removes internal trade and labour mobility barriers and aligns Manitoba’s standards with other jurisdictions across Canada.
    •  Prince Edward Island enacted its own Interprovincial Trade and Mobility Act, 2025 streamlining credential recognition with limited exceptions.
    • Newfoundland & Labrador and New Brunswick signed a bilateral memorandum to enhance cooperation on trade and labour mobility.
    • Quebec introduced legislation to reduce barriers to goods and professional mobility while retaining oversight for strategic exceptions.
    • British Columbia enacted the Economic Stabilization (Tariff Response) Act, 2025, designed, in part, to remove or amend barriers that impede interprovincial trade.
     
    •  National energy and trade corridor: There is growing momentum toward a pan-Canadian energy and infrastructure corridor. The First Ministers’ endorsement of “One Canadian Economy” marked a pivotal step towards establishing a national corridor to facilitate the efficient movement of energy and critical resources across jurisdictions.
    The momentum has spurred federal action, including legislation to create a Major Projects and  Corridor Coordination Office and implement a two-year approval timeline for nationally significant projects. It is encouraging to see provinces beginning to operationalize this vision. Ontario 
    recently released Energy for Generations, an integrated energy plan that includes a commitment to support the development of a national energy corridor. Meanwhile, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are exploring joint infrastructure planning, and the Atlantic provinces are advancing regional energy integration.
     
    •  Strategic procurement reform: Provinces and territories are increasingly aligning procurement  practices with domestic industrial strategies, responding directly to our call to better leverage public purchasing power. For example:
    • Ontario has empowered Supply Ontario to prioritize Canadian suppliers and account for local economic impact, particularly in sectors like manufacturing and life sciences.
    •  British Columbia has expanded its Buy BC program to strengthen agrifood, Indigenous businesses, and regional supply chains.
    •  Atlantic provinces continue to harmonize procurement practices through the Atlantic Procurement Agreement.
    • Saskatchewan has also recently committed to prioritizing Canadian suppliers across all government procurement – directing nearly 90% of contracts to local firms and over 99% to Canadian companies.
    • Several jurisdictions are also actively applying trade agreement flexibilities to support Canadian firms. Together, these actions mark a strategic shift toward procurement that builds resilience, enhances capacity, and delivers lasting economic value.
    As you continue to collaborate and act to benefit all Canadians, we urge you to prioritize the following items at your upcoming meeting:
     
    1.  Implement a coordinated credential recognition and labour mobility framework: Mutual recognition agreements are a big step, and an essential beginning. The next steps are to agree on a consistent, multilateral and pan-Canadian approach, and to move quickly to implement it. Provinces and territories should align practices in regulated professions and skilled trades by introducing common timelines, enabling digital credential tracking, and establishing enforcement mechanisms. We urge you to empower regulators and work with national standard-setting bodies, such as the Canadian Standards Association, to support alignment, reduce duplication, and move fast on harmonization. Let’s start with high-impact sectors like health care and infrastructure-related 
    professions, so that Canadians can start to see the benefits from your leadership.
     
    2.  Advance the national energy and infrastructure corridor: Work collaboratively with the federal government and Indigenous leaders to define corridor routes, establish cost-sharing frameworks, and streamline regulatory approvals for projects of strategic importance. This could include coordinated investment in transmission lines, pipelines, rail networks and ports to ensure our energy resources, minerals and manufactured goods can reach new markets. Coordinated action across all orders of government is essential to unlocking the economic and geopolitical potential of a pan- Canadian corridor.
     
    3.  Leverage procurement to strengthen domestic industry: Encourage coordinated Buy-Canadian approaches by aligning scoring criteria, local economic impact assessments, and supplier access across jurisdictions. By making full use of the flexibility in our trade agreements, you can help prioritize domestic suppliers in key sectors such as clean tech and agrifood. Let’s make procurement as a driver of Canadian competitiveness and capacity.
     
    4. Prepare for the renewal of the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA):
    With the prospect of Canada and the U.S. resolving the immediate trade dispute by mid-July, the focus must shift to thorough preparation for the CUSMA renewal. The current uncertainty in the trading relationship underscores the need to reinforce a stable, predictable, and enforceable framework. Now is the time to align federal, provincial and territorial priorities to ensure Canadaapproaches the 2026 negotiations with a unified and well-prepared front. Provinces and territories have a critical role to play in shaping Canada’s trade interests, and early coordination will be
    essential. A pan-Canadian strategy should prioritize resilient supply chains, labour mobility, and energy integration. 

    Our Chambers stand ready to support this next phase of action through policy input, business engagement, and cross-jurisdictional coordination. With continued leadership from both government and business, thisgrowing spirit of unity can translate into meaningful, long-term economic progress for all Canadians

    Sincerely,

    Daniel Tisch
    President and CEO
    Ontario Chamber of Commerce

    Véronique Proulx President and CEO
    Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

    Rhonda Tulk-Lane
    CEO
    Atlantic Chamber of Commerce

    Chuck Davidson              
    President and CEO               
    Manitoba Chamber of  Commerce

    Alex McMillan
    President and CEO  (interim)
    Manitoba Chamber of Commerce

    Prabha Ramaswamy 
     CEO
    Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce

    Shauna Feth
    CEO President and CEO
    Alberta Chamber of Commerce
     
     

  • Business Truth & Reconciliation Business Truth & Reconciliation

    The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce takes proactive steps to promote reconciliation and respect for Indigenous rights within the corporate sector. In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action 92, the Chamber urges its members to embrace the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a guiding framework.

     

    Recognizing the importance of education, the Chamber encourages businesses to provide comprehensive training for management and staff on the history of Indigenous peoples, including the legacy of residential schools, Indigenous rights, and Aboriginal-Crown relations. Emphasizing intercultural competency, conflict resolution, and anti-racism, these efforts aim to foster a more inclusive and harmonious corporate environment rooted in mutual understanding and respect.

    Learn more click here