Canada’s Provincial Chambers Urge Premiers to Maintain Momentum on Internal Trade
Joint business agenda urges action on nation-building and competitiveness
CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI, July 21, 2026 — The chief executives of Canada's provincial and territorial chambers of commerce today released Chambers of the Federation: An Agenda for a More Competitive Canada, a joint policy framework shared in advance of Canada’s premiers’ summer meeting in Charlottetown this week, and hot on the heels of the latest escalation in the U.S. trade war on Canada.
The chambers welcomed recent progress on internal trade, labour mobility, and intergovernmental cooperation, and outlined practical actions that governments can advance over the next 12 to 24 months to strengthen economic resilience and competitiveness.
The framework identifies five priorities for collective action:
- Build one Canadian economy by advancing internal trade, labour mobility, and regulatory alignment, making this their highest joint political priority.
- Compete globally through a “Team Canada” approach, aligned with the federal government on trade, supply chain resilience, and international competitiveness.
- Build and connect Canada's energy and trade infrastructure by identifying nationally significant corridors and coordinating investment plans.
- Accelerate approvals for nation-building projects by improving regulatory efficiency and certainty.
- Strengthen domestic procurement and industrial capacity to support Canadian businesses and more resilient supply chains.
“Canada’s premiers have moved the agenda further in the last year than in the last decade,” said Daniel Tisch, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the founding chair of the Chambers of the Federation. “Now comes the hard part: implementation. That means removing internal trade barriers, accelerating nation-building infrastructure, and building more resilient, sovereign supply chains that strengthen Canada’s competitiveness.”
"This framework is a long-term agenda, and every one of its five priorities will matter to British Columbia," said Jen Riley, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce. "In this moment, our focus at the BC Chamber is finishing what we started on internal trade. Getting every government to the table was the hard part, and Premier Eby helped make that happen. The goods agreement is signed, and services and labour mobility are being negotiated right now. Execution needs the same energy as agreement, with clear timelines and public reporting, and that includes finishing direct-to-consumer alcohol for good, so a BC winery or craft distillery can ship to a customer in any province."
Riley said labour mobility is the key priority for the next phase of discussions.
“Labour mobility is about getting skilled workers where Canada needs them most. A carpenter or crane operator certified in one province may not be recognized in the next, a truck driver's licence is provincial, and heavy equipment and mining certifications often do not transfer. Fixing that will help deliver nation-building projects, create long-term careers, and ensure businesses can access the talent they need. The chamber network plays a critical role by connecting workers and employers while identifying the barriers governments need to remove.”
Collectively, the signatory chambers represent more than 600 local chambers of commerce and 200,000 businesses of all sizes, sectors and regions.
The full framework is available at www.chambersofthefederation.ca.
Signatories
- Rhonda Tulk-Lane, President & CEO, Atlantic Chamber of Commerce; Chair, Chambers of the Federation
- Daniel Tisch, President & CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
- Véronique Proulx, President and CEO, Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec
- Chuck Davidson, President and CEO, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce
- Jen Riley, President and CEO, British Columbia Chamber of Commerce
- Shauna Feth, President and CEO, Alberta Chambers of Commerce
- Prabha Ramaswamy, CEO, Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
- Rowena House, Executive Director, Baffin Chamber of Commerce
About Chambers of the Federation
Chambers of the Federation is a collaborative effort among Canada's provincial and territorial chambers of commerce, presenting a joint, business-informed policy agenda to the Council of the Federation each year in support of shared economic priorities.