The Canadian Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs has announced a new pilot project under which participating provinces and territories will commit to recognizing each other’s regulatory requirements for their respective trucking sectors, even where differences exist.

The effort to mutually recognize each region’s regulatory requirements is being co-chaired by Newfoundland and Labrador. Participating jurisdictions include Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut.

“Mutual recognition agreements in key sectors, such as transportation and trucking, have the potential to boost Canada's productivity and economic growth. Experts forecast that adopting mutual recognition as a means to reduce barriers to internal trade could increase Canada's economy by $200 billion per year,” the government stated in its announcement about the pilot project.

Organizations like the Canadian Federation of Independent Business were quick to laud the development, saying the announcement “marks the first bold step Canadian governments have taken to eliminate internal trade barriers since the signing of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) in 2017,” they state. “CFIB has advocated for mutual recognition since it became apparent that the CFTA fell short in addressing many barriers to the movement of goods, services and people across Canada. This pilot project will allow jurisdictions to recognize one another's regulatory requirements without compromising safety within the industry.” 

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