Protect Ontario through Free Trade Within Canada Act, 2025
Free Trade Update:
In its Speech from the Throne, the Ford government pledged to boost Ontario’s economy by removing internal barriers and recognizing credentials from other provinces. The Government is moving quickly to act on its promise by introducing Protect Ontario through Free Trade Within Canada Act, 2025 which would, if passed, remove existing barriers to strengthen internal trade, reduce costs for Ontarians, and encourage initiatives to buy local.
Key Features:
- Ontario would become the first province in Canada to remove all its party-specific exceptions (PSEs) under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) without exception and encouraging other provinces and territories and the federal government to follow suit.
- Allowing workers from other parts of the country to come and work in Ontario by enabling the government to remove labour mobility barriers, reduce administrative burdens and simplify the movement of certified workers across Canada. By expanding labour mobility with new “As of Right” rules, Ontario will allow certified workers from other provinces and territories to begin working in Ontario immediately while they complete a streamlined registration process.
- Enabling mutual recognition with reciprocating provinces and territories, so that goods, services and registered workers that are good enough for other parts of Canada are recognized as good enough for sale, use or work in Ontario.
- Moving to allow more regulated health professionals in good standing to begin practising in Ontario while they wait for registration in an Ontario health regulatory college and removing restrictions on where they may work using “As of Right” rules. The government will also begin consultations to allow American health professionals, including doctors and nurses, to be included under these new “As of Right” rules.
- Enabling direct-to-consumer alcohol sales with reciprocating provinces and territories so that consumers will be able to purchase alcohol directly from producers across Canada for personal consumption.
- Establishing a “Buy Ontario, Buy Canadian” day held annually on the last Friday in June to help consumers support local businesses and workers through programs such as Ontario Made, Ontario Wood, VQA and Foodland Ontario.
In Closing:
Ontario also announced that it is launching a $50 million Ontario Together Trade Fund to help businesses make investments so they can serve more interprovincial customers, develop new markets and re-shore critical supply chains, strengthening Ontario’s trade security and diversification.
Ontario is also signing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick that will bolster interprovincial trade.