Annual Report April 2007 – March 2008

2007/2008 Highlights

At its Annual Meeting in St.John’s in June 2007, the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) reviewed progress on an ambitious “five-point action plan”, launched in 2006, to strengthen the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT). At this meeting, Ministers: ƒ

• held their first formal consultation with a delegation representing the Canadian Chamber of Commerce on the state of interprovincial trade in Canada; ƒ welcomed entry into force of the Seventh Protocol of Amendment;
• approved revisions to the complaint procedures under Chapter Five (Procurement) as well as revisions to Chapter Six (Investment);
• presented options to the Council of the Federation (COF) for strengthening enforcement of AIT panel rulings;
• received a detailed workplan from Labour Market Ministers to ensure full compliance with AIT provisions by regulated occupations by April 2009;
• received a report from the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group on Regulatory Reform (WGRR) on its work to date and instructed trade officials to continue to cooperate with regulatory officials and to identify priority sectors;
• directed officials to move quickly to finalize a draft Energy Chapter;
• urged further progress from Agriculture Ministers to complete a revised Agricultural and Food Goods Chapter;
• received a proposal by Nunavut to formally join the AIT;
• directed officials to continue to work on issues of business subsidies; and
• urged Finance Ministers to consider the linkages between innovation and competitiveness.

Also, the Annual General Meeting of the Internal Trade Secretariat Corporation (ITSC) was held in June 2007 via conference call. A meeting of the ITSC Board of Directors took place in February 2008.

The Secretariat assisted in planning the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce Roundtable on Internal Trade in November 2007 and also made a presentation to the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Public Procurement Council in October 2007.