Annual Report April 2006 – March 2007

2006/2007 Highlights

Year 2006–2007 saw an acceleration of the renewed momentum given to interprovincial trade in recent years following the adoption by the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) of an internal trade work plan in late 2004. During 2006-2007, the CIT met twice to review and expedite progress.

At its Annual Meeting in Halifax in September 2006, the CIT launched an ambitious “action plan” to achieve major progress on initiatives to strengthen the AIT. At this meeting Ministers: ƒ

• Approved the Seventh AIT Protocol of Amendment to streamline/strengthen dispute resolution procedures as well as to clarify/improve certain provisions dealing with procurement;
• Directed officials to complete within a year a major review of the AIT dispute resolution mechanism and to propose revisions to the AIT to ensure a fair, efficient, effective, accountable and enforceable dispute process of an administrative nature;
• Urged Labour Market Ministers to achieve greater labour mobility by April 1, 2009 via full compliance by regulatory bodies with AIT provisions;
• Directed officials to continue work on the development of measures to ensure that governments take into account trade/mobility effects relating to new/revised regulations and standards;
• Directed officials to move quickly to finalize a draft AIT Energy Chapter; and
• Requested Agriculture Ministers to develop an action plan to complete a new AIT Agriculture chapter.

At a special interim meeting in Toronto in February 2007, the CIT met again to further review and advance progress under the new “action plan”. At this meeting, Ministers: ƒ

• Resolved (among eleven provinces/territories and the federal government) the outstanding issues on regional economic development measures and hydraulic rights issues, and agreed to refer options for the content of a draft Energy Chapter for the consideration of Energy Ministers;
• Requested the Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM) to develop a detailed work plan with specific targets and timelines so as to meet the April 1, 2009 deadline for AIT compliance by regulatory bodies;
• Approved amendments to the Code of Conduct on Incentives to help distinguish the current requirement for all Parties to take into account the economic interests of other Parties in developing and applying their incentive measures; and
• Approved an AIT communications plan.