Our commitment

Alberta’s government is committed to working with our federal, provincial and territorial partners to advance opportunities for Albertans and their businesses in Canada. 

The current global situation underscores the need to further develop Canada’s trade to unlock Alberta's and Canada’s true potential and improve economic prosperity. This includes the removal of barriers to trade, labour mobility and investment between provinces. 

Interprovincial trade helps people, businesses and industries across our country grow and thrive. By making it easier to work across provinces, both businesses and consumers will benefit now and into the future.

We want to hear from you

Alberta’s government is committed to making internal trade easier. We want to hear from you if you are facing challenges doing business or working in Alberta or other provinces.

Share your input

Premier's message

  • Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta

    “Alberta is the national leader in interprovincial trade, driving economic growth by breaking down barriers and fostering seamless trade across Canada. We are building on this leadership and working with our counterparts across the country to eliminate regulatory barriers, enhance labour mobility, and standardize regulations to build and fortify trade across Canada.”

    Danielle Smith, Premier

Alberta’s leadership

Alberta maintains strong domestic trading relationships through the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) and the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA) to:

enhance access to markets for Alberta goods, services, suppliers, workers, investors and investments across the west and Canada

maintain Alberta’s competitiveness by supporting job creation and economic diversification

Alberta has long supported dismantling barriers to trade within Canada and is committed to working with provincial, territorial and federal counterparts to identify areas of opportunity where even more barriers can be removed.

  • Alcohol

    Interested jurisdictions, including Alberta, have committed to improving the trade of alcohol products between participating jurisdictions by advancing direct-to-consumer sales for Canadian products. Alberta has the most open liquor market in Canada.

    • Albertans have one of the largest selections of liquor products in all of Canada, with 1,600 stores and 35,000 products.
    • More than 825 liquor agencies and over 1,600 liquor retailers currently operating in the province can bring in any product that is not already in the Alberta marketplace.

    Alberta supports free and open trade and is open to finding opportunities to improve trade with our provincial partners – including finding ways to improve the flow of liquor products between provinces and getting Canadian products on the shelves of retail stores across the country.

    Alberta is moving forward on direct-to-consumer sales, which would allow consumers to purchase products directly from producers in other provinces – while ensuring that the appropriate markups and fees are collected consistently on all liquor sales made in the province. Alberta is pursing direct-to-consumer agreements with provinces where the agreement includes the sale of all liquor products, complies with provincial laws and aligns with Alberta's free trade principles.

    • In July, 2024, the Governments of Alberta and British Columbia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance bilateral trade and facilitate the direct-to-consumer sale of wine.
    • The MOU simplifies access for Albertans to purchase B.C. wine while ensuring standard markups and fees are collected on all wine sales, including those shipped directly from B.C. It also enables Alberta wineries to sell their products directly to consumers in B.C.
    • Under the agreement between Alberta and B.C., a “virtual” warehouse has been set up in Alberta for direct sales of B.C. wine to Albertans, which is how the province collects the appropriate markups and fees.

  • Financial services

    Parties to the CFTA are currently finalizing negotiations for incorporating the financial services sector into the CFTA.

    Alberta is co-leading the work on a new Financial Services Chapter in the CFTA. The Financial Services Chapter will promote an efficient, open, and sound financial services sector within Canada.

    This chapter is expected to be completed in mid to late 2025.

  • Trucking services

    Parties to the CFTA are currently identifying issues to address through mutual recognition or potential harmonization.

    Alberta has been a leader in reducing barriers to commercial trucking and is focused on prioritizing what is important to industry:

    • consistent national infrastructure, such as rest stops and highway dimensions, as well as maintenance standards
    • safety profiles, ratings and audit standards
    • electric vehicle weight thresholds and axle weights for truck tractors
    • specifications of signing, lighting, flags and devices for visibility
    • oversized vehicle requirements

    Federal, provincial and territorial governments are working through the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) on this important work.

  • Consumer goods

    Parties to the CFTA have agreed on an action plan for negotiating a mutual recognition agreement on consumer goods (excluding food), with a goal to conclude by December 2025.

    CFTA parties are in the process of negotiating a mutual recognition agreement for consumer goods.

    Mutual recognition is a framework where a good or service that meets the regulatory requirements of one government is deemed to automatically satisfy the requirements of other governments.

    While current negotiations are focused on consumer goods, over time, the intent is to add industrial goods, food and services to the agreement.

    All provinces and territories are working on an inventory of their regulations, which will allow for a detailed analysis of requirements for consumer goods so this work can be completed.

CFTA exceptions

Alberta’s commitment to remove its party-specific exceptions to the CFTA has helped facilitate even greater access to the Alberta market for Canadian companies in the areas of government tenders, Crown land acquisition, liquor, energy, forest products and more.

Icon of a pair of scissors cutting tape

In 2019, Alberta removed 21 of its original 27 exceptions, including all procurement exceptions, representing 80% of Alberta’s exceptions under the CFTA at the time.

Icon of a hand holding two arrows going in opposite directions

In 2019, Alberta also narrowed the scope of 2 of its retained exceptions to enhance Alberta’s open and competitive liquor market and better reflect the regulatory framework for Alberta’s forestry sector.

Remaining CFTA exceptions

Alberta only has 8 remaining exceptions, which are in place for essential regulatory and safety purposes:

  • 2 for alcohol regulation in the province under Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis
  • 2 preserving the regulatory framework for Alberta’s forestry sector
  • 1 allowing Alberta to properly manage and collect royalties in its upstream energy and minerals sector
  • 1 for the management and disposal of hazardous materials
  • 2 new exceptions that were added in 2024 to allow for the management of legalized cannabis

NWPTA exceptions

Since 2010, our province has been helping to improve the flow of goods, services, investments and workers between Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

In 2022, Alberta removed 2 of its 4 party specific exceptions from the NWPTA related to investment and energy.

Spotlighting success

Thanks to our province’s proactive leadership, Alberta has achieved countless successes on internal trade to date, with many more on the horizon.

Partnering with Ontario on free trade

Premier Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford signed a memorandum of understanding on June 1, 2025, that will see Alberta and Ontario cooperate on liberalizing trade and advancing shared priorities within the Canadian federation. The agreement is focused on:

  • increasing the barrier-free flow of goods and services between Alberta and Ontario
  • streamlining requirements to make it easier for Albertans and Ontarians in regulated professions to work in each others’ provinces faster
  • enabling direct-to-consumer interprovincial sales of Ontario-made and Alberta-made alcohol

Other successes

  • Business and trade

    Eliminating barriers for food trade in Lloydminster

    Food trade has been a longstanding challenge in Lloydminster, one of Canada’s only cross-border communities. To trade interprovincially, businesses in Lloydminster had to comply with the federal Safe Food for Canadians Act and Safe Food for Canadians Regulations that apply to products crossing provincial boundaries, costing businesses time and money.

    In January 2023, the governments of Saskatchewan and Alberta partnered with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to remove barriers to interprovincial trade of meat in Lloydminster through a 2-year pilot program. Under this pilot, all food businesses operating in Lloydminster are considered as operating in one provincial jurisdiction, removing interprovincial licensing requirements from the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations within city boundaries.

    The pilot allowed small businesses to expand their operations to both sides of the city, regardless of which province they were originally based in. The pilot ended in late 2024 with the amendment of the federal Safe Food for Canadians regulation to exempt the City of Lloydminster from interprovincial trade clauses.

    Streamlining the collection of fuel taxes

    Alberta is part of the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) – an agreement among 10 Canadian jurisdictions and 48 American states that helps with the collection and distribution of fuel taxes paid by fuel trucking companies traveling in several jurisdictions. Membership in the international agreement makes it easier for these trucking companies by allowing them to submit one quarterly fuel tax return to their base jurisdiction, rather than having to complete separate fuel tax returns for each jurisdiction. This significantly reduces the paperwork and compliance burden for carriers who have to report.

    Enabling increased interprovincial electricity trade

    Through the Energy and Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, Alberta is streamlining the process to build and maintain intertie connections between our electricity grid and those of neighbouring provincial jurisdictions. This will help improve the reliability of all interconnected grids and increase export capacity of excess power generation by restoring and expanding the intertie connections between Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

    Development of a nuclear power regulatory framework

    Alberta is working closely with provincial partners with established nuclear industries, like Ontario and New Brunswick, to develop a nuclear roadmap for Alberta. Alberta has also entered into memorandums of understanding with Saskatchewan to jointly advance the economic development of nuclear power generation, support industrial decarbonization and enhance grid capability and reliability in both provinces.

  • Economic corridors

    Ensuring vital links to markets

    Alberta’s government is working to advance economic corridors and build a network that will support the next generation of Albertans and businesses. This includes continuing to make strategic investments in Alberta’s transportation network to build economic corridors, creating jobs, improving safety and supporting economic development. In Budget 2025, government is investing $2.6 billion over 3 years for key transportation infrastructure.

    Alberta’s government has also signed memorandums of understanding with the governments of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in 2023 and the Northwest Territories in 2024 to promote an integrated and coordinated nation building approach to economic corridor development. The agreements guide our collective efforts to collaborate on regulatory harmonization, regional planning and advocacy, domestic trade and trade diversification.

  • Harmonization

    Harmonizing construction codes 

    Alberta is continuing to strengthen interprovincial trade as a result of improvements to the national model construction code development system. Provinces and territories are working to harmonize safety codes, such as the building code from the beginning of the code development cycle. Timely code adoption across the country lets Albertans benefit from the latest technology and best practices. 

    Our work to harmonize codes includes products that are certified for use across Canada, such as furnaces and electrical equipment, that are familiar to tradespeople from all Canadian jurisdictions. Together, this collaboration helps make construction more efficient, cost-effective and timely.

  • Labour mobility

    Labour Mobility Act

    In 2023, Alberta proclaimed the Labour Mobility Act, which makes it faster and easier for Canadians moving to Alberta to have their credentials recognized.

    This legislation streamlines requirements so that certified out-of-province workers can register to work in Alberta more quickly to fill job vacancies.

    Making it easier to work in Canadian healthcare 

    Alberta’s Labour Mobility Act, Fair Registration Practices Act, and Health Professions Act help ensure health regulatory colleges’ registration practices collectively protect public safety, are transparent, efficient and impartial, and enable out-of-province health professionals, such as nurses and physicians, to enter Alberta’s labour force in a timely manner. Under the Labour Mobility Act, regulatory bodies are required to make registration decisions within 20 business days after receiving a complete application. Alberta consistently meets or exceeds this target.  

    According to a 2023 Alberta Labour Mobility Survey, professional regulatory bodies in Alberta reported an average registration time of only 6 days for professionals in good standing from other Canadian jurisdictions, and in the first quarter of this year, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, which is responsible for registering physicians in Alberta, reported that it only takes them an average of 0.2 days to make a registration decision. Alberta values the contributions of health professionals from outside Alberta, with well over 10,000 physicians and nurses who graduated outside of the province registered to work in our province.

    Water and Wastewater Operator Certification

    Alberta aligns with CFTA Labour Mobility provisions that make it easier for out of province certified professionals such as water and wastewater operators to work in Alberta. Alberta has matched water and wastewater operator certifications with CFTA standards so that Canadian operators can easily transfer professional certifications and work in equivalent positions in Alberta (except Quebec).

    Respecting multi-jurisdictional pension plans

    On July 1, 2020, Alberta joined the Agreement Respecting Multi-Jurisdictional Pension Plans. The agreement reduces red tape and simplifies the rules around pension administration, making it easier for Alberta companies with employees in more than one province to operate their pension plan. The agreement provides clarity on how each provinces’ pension legislation applies to these companies, and significantly reduces the practical and legal difficulties the businesses would otherwise face comply with the legislative requirements of different provinces. As of July 1, 2023, all provinces are covered by the agreement, which benefits many Canadian businesses that operate across jurisdictions.

    Getting people to work

    Alberta’s government is working with provincial, territorial and federal leaders through the Committee on Internal Trade to take meaningful action to further liberalize and support the Canadian market so that goods, services and workers can move freely.

    This includes working with the Forum of Labour Market Ministers to develop, by June 1, 2025, a 30-day service standard to get people to work in other provinces faster and provide a plan for Canada-wide credential recognition, while taking into consideration unique jurisdictional needs.

  • Occupational health and safety

    Standardizing first aid requirements

    Through the adoption of Canadian Standards Association standards, jurisdictions across Canada have harmonized requirements around first aid. There is now a consistent approach across the country for first aid training. Requirements for first aid kits are also the same country-wide regardless of where the work occurs. The changes result from the Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table, which is a national body tasked with aligning workplace health and safety requirements among Canadian jurisdictions. Alberta participates in this body and the province adopted the harmonized first aid standards on March 31, 2023.

    Recognizing out of province occupational health and safety certifications

    For certifications required under Alberta’s occupational health and safety laws such those for blasters and underground mine managers or foremen, Alberta recognizes credentials issued by other jurisdictions without a requirement for further training. Out of province workers with these credentials simply need to write a short exam on Alberta’s legislation, rather than retaking training to establish their competency.

  • Consultation

    Making Indigenous consultation more seamless

    Alberta’s government launched the Aboriginal Consultation Office Digital Service in 2022. This online system has modernized and streamlined consultation with Indigenous communities through digital delivery. The digital service is integrated with other regulatory systems, such as the Alberta Energy Regulator's OneStop system and the Alberta Government's Digital Regulatory Assurance System, reducing information transfer time and providing increased transparency to Indigenous communities through real-time access to the status of consultations.

    Alberta’s government continues to highlight and advocate for Alberta’s consultation process with federal, provincial, and territorial partners and encourage others to follow suit to reduce duplication and delays for project approvals.

  • Procurement

    Supporting a pan-Canadian approach to infrastructure procurement

    Investing in building new or modernizing and maintaining public infrastructure is a key driver of a healthy Alberta economy. On average, Alberta’s government awards more than 650 contracts to over 360 firms per year to build, modernize or maintain existing public facilities, like schools, courthouses, health facilities and provincial buildings located throughout the province. Of these contracts, about 95% are either with Alberta firms or Canadian firms with an Alberta presence.

    In adhering to procurement practices as outlined in the Canadian Free Trade Agreement and associated trade agreements, Alberta encourages a pan-Canadian approach to procurement. that is open to all qualified businesses and supports thousands of good-paying construction and construction-related jobs for Albertans and Canadians.

A construction worker wearing a hard hat and safety gear crawling over rebar

Share your input

Alberta’s government is committed to making internal trade easier. We want to hear from you if you are:

  • an Alberta worker, business owner or representative of a business association or organization facing, or aware of, challenges doing business or working in other Canadian provinces
  • a Canadian worker, business owner or representative facing, or aware of, challenges doing business or working in Alberta

We will use insights gathered to help inform our ongoing efforts to break down interprovincial trade barriers and accelerate the growth of Alberta’s, and Canada’s, economy. We may contact you to get more information about the internal barrier that you identified. Only submissions that require follow-up will receive a response.

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Is this issue or barrier related to a specific section of Alberta legislation, regulation, policy or code(s)?
Include the name of the government entity that has set this rule or barrier, and if applicable provide more details on the specific section of legislation, regulation, policy or code(s) (section/page number of the document, etc.)

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