QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Internal Trade
Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on the Sale of Goods
February 24, 2026
Minister LeBlanc, welcome to the Senate. I want to discuss internal and interprovincial barriers — something we’ve been talking about for almost 160 years now — but, more specifically, the work of the Committee on Internal Trade and the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on the Sale of Goods it signed in November.
My question focuses on Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, which I’ve always described as the heart and soul of our economy. Can you speak to us about the positive impact the agreement will have for SMEs, which sometimes lack the resources to navigate multiple regulatory systems across provinces and territories? How will your agreement help them access a larger domestic market more seamlessly and cost-effectively?
Senator, thank you for the question. It follows up on Senator Carignan’s question. You’re much more optimistic than your Conservative colleague, which I think is great.
As you noted, that significant agreement was signed in November among all the provinces at a meeting in Yellowknife, where I was. Ontario and Nova Scotia have shown enormous leadership in our federation. We signed an agreement regarding the mutual recognition for the sale of goods, and we did away with the interprovincial trucking barriers, which made no sense.
Small- and medium-sized businesses can now sell a particular item in Nova Scotia, and it’s deemed to comply with all of the sale of goods requirements in another jurisdiction. That’s just one thing —
Thank you, minister.
