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Canada's long-standing Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) was replaced, on 1 July 2017, by the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA). The new Agreement brings about wider and more in depth coverage of internal trade, as it incorporates almost all economic activities and deepens the coverage of many provincial and territorial commitments, in particular on government procurement. It has provisions for reducing regulatory barriers through a mechanism for regulatory cooperation; strengthens dispute settlement procedures; increases alignment with Canada's international obligations; and includes new provisions on environmental protection and labour mobility.

(...)Following the announcement of the Pan-Canadian Approach to Pricing Carbon Pollution in 2016, a federal system or provincial schemes (in line with the federal benchmark) are being put in place to ensure that carbon pollution pricing will apply to a broad set of emission sources throughout Canada, with increasing stringency over time. (...)

Canada remains a net exporter of fish and fish products. A review of the legal framework for fisheries is underway since 2016, and Bill C-68, proposing amendments to the Fisheries Act to ensure the long-term sustainability of marine resources, is currently before Parliament. Canada cooperates with international partners to fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing worldwide; (...)

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2.3. One of the main developments during the period under review was the replacement of the long-standing Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) with a new agreement, the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), as Canada's main internal trade agreement, on 1 July 2017. (...)
(...)The CFTA also strengthens dispute settlement procedures, increases alignment with international obligations, and includes provisions on environmental protection and labour mobility. (...)

(...) Canada's trade policy since 2015 is based on two core priorities, elaborated as part of the annual plan of the department of Global Affairs Canada : 1) diversifying international trade and foreign direct investment, with a view to increasing economic opportunity and 2) the pursuit of an inclusive approach to trade focused on the inclusion of transparency, labour rights, the environment, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), gender, and Indigenous peoples in trade and investment agreements, which aim to ensure that the benefits of trade are shared more broadly.

Canada is pursuing an inclusive approach to trade that seeks to ensure that more Canadians can take advantage of the opportunities that flow from trade and investment. This approach is informed by ongoing dialogue with a broad range of Canadians, to align trade policy priorities with the interests of all Canadians. In its trade agreements, Canada is building on past achievements by improving labour and environment protections, and pursuing new chapters, focused on cooperation and information-sharing, designed to improve the capacity and conditions of underrepresented groups, in particular women, owners of SMEs and Indigenous peoples, to access and benefit from the opportunities created by trade agreements.

The CPTPP entered into force for Canada, Australia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, and Singapore on 30 December 2018, and for Viet Nam on 14 January 2019. For the remaining signatories (Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, Peru), the CPTPP will enter into force 60 days after they have notified of the completion of their ratification procedures. The CPTPP has been described as a comprehensive and modern agreement, covering virtually all aspects of trade and investment, and includes binding chapter commitments in new areas such as the environment and labour. (...)

During the review period, Canada was also active in updating and expanding existing FTAs in order to modernize certain FTA provisions. The modernized Canada-Chile FTA entered into force on 5 February 2019, while implementing legislation for the modernized Canada-Israel FTA was introduced in Parliament. According to Canada, these amended Agreements have now been updated to include a number of inclusive trade elements, such as provisions on labour, the environment, trade and gender, SMEs, etc.

(...)Canada generally conducts FIPA negotiations on the basis of a model template. Recently-concluded FIPAs typically have provisions on national treatment, MFN, minimum standard of treatment, compensation for losses, performance requirements, expropriation, transparency, subrogation, taxation, dispute settlement, health, safety, and environmental measures, etc. (...)