08:17 AM EDT, 07/08/2025 (MT Newswires) -- With the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) meeting later Tuesday, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has sent committee members a letter calling for progress and clarity around key commitments on a pan-Canadian mutual recognition agreement on goods, and direct-to-consumer alcohol delivery.

"As we noted in our annual Internal Trade Report Card last week, there has been more progress on removing trade barriers within Canada in the past six months than in eight years since the Canadian Free Trade Agreement was signed," said SeoRhin Yoo, CFIB senior policy analyst for interprovincial affairs, in a statement.

"But with multiple jurisdictions taking multiple approaches on the file, there is potential for a confusing patchwork of rules and regulations," added SeoRhin Yoo. "The CIT is a critical piece to stop that from happening and provide the clarity small businesses need to move forward and plan with confidence."

At the June 2 First Ministers meeting in Sakskatoon, the premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney directed the CIT to "rapidly conclude a comprehensive Mutual Recognition Agreement covering consumer goods, in alignment with CIT discussions, with implementation by December 2025."

Given that seven jurisdictions have already passed mutual recognition legislation, CFIB is seeking clarity on what a CIT agreement would mean for both the provinces with existing legislation and for the internal trade file as a whole, it stated.

Additionally, after the March 5 First Ministers meeting in Ottawa it was noted that many provinces were working on allowing direct-to-consumer alcohol delivery across provincial borders. While many provinces have a framework in place, currently only Manitoba allows for full direct-to-consumer interjurisdictional shipment of Canadian wine, craft beer and spirits.