Chapter Eleven – Institutional Provisions

1100: Committee on Internal Trade

1. The Committee on Internal Trade, as established under Article 1600 (Committee on Internal Trade) of the Agreement on Internal Trade, is continued under this Agreement.
2. The Committee shall:
   1. supervise the implementation of this Agreement;
   2. assist in the resolution of disputes arising out of the interpretation and application of this Agreement;
   3. approve the annual operating budget of the Secretariat; and
   4. consider any other matter that may affect the operation of this Agreement.

Article 1101: Committee Structure and Procedures

1. The Committee shall be composed of cabinet-level representatives, or their designates, of each of the Parties.
2. The Committee may establish or amend its own practices and procedures.
3. The Committee shall meet:
   1. annually; and
   2. at any other time at the call of the Chair, at the request of two or more Parties, or as may be agreed by the Committee.
4. Subject to paragraph 5, each Party shall act as Chair of the Committee for one year, beginning January 1 of each year and ending on December 31, according to the following rotation:
   • • New Brunswick
     • Quebec
     • Nova Scotia
     • Newfoundland and Labrador
     • British Columbia
     • Yukon
     • Saskatchewan
     • Prince Edward Island
     • Northwest Territories
     • Nunavut
     • Canada
     • Manitoba
     • Ontario
     • Alberta
     • New Brunswick
5. The Chairperson of the Committee on Internal Trade under the Agreement on Internal Trade on the effective date will act as Chair of the Committee until the end of that calendar year.
6. All decisions and recommendations of the Committee shall be made by consensus, except as provided in this Agreement.
7. The Committee shall prepare an annual report on the functioning of this Agreement.

Article 1102: Secretariat

1. The Internal Trade Secretariat, as established under Article 1603 (Secretariat) of the Agreement on Internal Trade, is continued under this Agreement. The Secretariat shall be headed by a Managing Director, with an office to provide administrative and operational support to the Committee, working groups, and other committees, and any other support as the Committee may direct.
2. The Managing Director shall prepare an annual operating budget for review and approval by the Committee.
3. The Parties shall contribute to the annual operating budget as follows:
   1. Government of Canada – 50 per cent of the budget; and
   2. Provinces collectively – 50 per cent of the budget.
4. The respective share of each Province shall be determined by the size of its population, in percentage terms, relative to the total population of Canada as determined by the most recent national census. This apportionment shall be reviewed and revised as required after every subsequent national census.

Article 1103: Committees and Working Groups

Establishment of Committees and Working Groups

1. The Parties may establish any committee or working group that shall be composed of representatives of each Party, except as agreed by the Parties.
2. Committees or working groups established under paragraph 1 may undertake the following activities:
   1. monitor the Parties’ implementation of this Agreement;
   2. identify and resolve implementation issues;
   3. identify opportunities for progress on future collaboration and liberalization efforts;
   4. provide a forum for discussions between the Parties on issues relating to trade, investment, or labour mobility within Canada; and
   5. report on matters of relevance to the Committee when required.

Committee on Consumer-Related Measures and Standards

3. The Committee on Consumer-Related Measures and Standards (“Consumer
   Measures Committee”), established under Article 809 (Committee on Consumer-Related Measures and Standards) of the Agreement on Internal Trade, is continued under this Agreement.
4. The Consumer Measures Committee shall, among other things:
   1. provide a forum for discussions among the Parties on issues relating to consumer-related measures and standards;
   2. identify opportunities, and facilitate processes, for the reconciliation of consumer-related regulatory measures that could be considered by the RCT established under Article 404 (Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table);
   3. assist the Parties in their proposals to the RCT to cooperate in the development of future consumer-related regulatory measures under Article 408 (Joint Development of Future Regulatory Measures); and
   4. report to the Committee of Ministers Responsible for Consumer-Related Measures and Standards regarding any significant collaboration between the Parties on consumer protection initiatives or agreements, if appropriate, for transmittal to the Committee.

Working Group on Alcoholic Beverages

5. 5. The Parties shall establish a working group on alcoholic beverages (“Alcoholic Beverages Working Group”) composed of representatives of each Party.
   6. Within one year of the effective date, the Alcoholic Beverages Working Group shall submit a report to the Committee, which identifies specific opportunities and recommends initiatives to further enhance trade in alcoholic beverages within Canada, while being mindful of social responsibility and international obligations.
   7. Further to paragraph 6, the report may include the identification of:
      1. new technologies and other approaches to improve consumer choice and convenience in the alcoholic beverages sector; and
      2. opportunities to address regulatory barriers to trade in alcoholic beverages to be considered by the RCT established under Article 404 (Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table).
   8. On the basis of the Alcoholic Beverages Working Group’s report, the Parties shall determine how trade in alcoholic beverages within Canada can be further enhanced.

Working Group on Trade in Fish and Fish Products

9. 9. The Parties shall establish a working group on trade in fish and fish products to consider how to further enhance trade in fish and fish products within Canada under this Agreement.

Working Group on Party-Specific Exceptions

10. 10. The Parties shall establish a working group on Party-specific exceptions to consider ways to minimize and to eliminate those exceptions to enhance the overall ambition of this Agreement.

    Working Group on the Development of the Food Sector in the Territories

    11. 11. The Parties shall establish a working group on the development of the food sector in the Territories (“Territorial Food Sector Working Group”) to address the challenges associated with producing healthy food and to mitigate the high costs of food for residents of the Territories. The Territorial Food Sector Working Group shall:
            1. identify ways in which the provinces and the Government of Canada could work with the Territories to better direct the innovation strengths of Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector to provide for economic benefits and improved access to healthy foods in the Territories; and
            2. assess and consider the role of supply management, including the quota allocation process, in economic development in the Territories.
        12. The Government of Canada shall convene the Territorial Food Sector Working Group, which shall provide recommendations to the Committee within one year of the effective date.

    Working Group on Economic Development Opportunities and Initiatives in the Territories Food Sector

    13. 13. In addition to the Territorial Food Sector Working Group, a separate working group consisting of only the Government of Canada and the Territories shall be convened to identify economic development opportunities and initiatives in the Territories’ food sector and to develop options within six months of the effective date.

        Article 1104: Ministerial Committees

        The Committee may coordinate with any Ministerial committee it considers necessary to fulfill the objective of this Agreement.