Ottawa and 10 provinces and territories launched a trucking mutual recognition pilot

In September 2024, federal ministers Dominic LeBlanc and Anita Anand announced a pilot project in which participating provinces and territories would recognize each other's trucking regulations. They made the announcement at a meeting of the Committee on Internal Trade in Charlottetown.

Anand had become federal transport minister on Sept. 19, 2024, keeping her role as Treasury Board president, after Pablo Rodriguez left cabinet to run for the Quebec Liberal leadership.

How the pilot works

• Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, P.E.I., Saskatchewan, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut joined. The pilot is co-chaired by Newfoundland and Labrador and Ottawa.
• Participants committed to recognizing each other's requirements even where they differ, such as signage for oversize vehicles, without lowering safety and security standards.
• Ottawa called it the first pilot of its kind on this scale in Canada, and said it would help guide mutual recognition in other areas, including labour mobility.

The government said more than $500 billion in goods and services crosses provincial and territorial borders each year, almost 19% of GDP.

Reaction

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business backed the pilot as an important first step. It noted that several jurisdictions had not signed on, and urged them to join before the committee's next meeting.