Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act
| Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act, 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | |
| |
| Citation | S.O. 2025, c. 3 |
| Assented to | 2025-06-05 |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill citation | Bill 2 |
| Introduced by | Victor Fedeli MPP, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade |
| First reading | 2025-04-17 |
| Second reading | 2025-04-29 - 2025-06-04 |
| Third reading | 2025-06-04 |
| Status: Current legislation | |
The Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act, 2025 (French: Loi de 2025 pour protéger l'Ontario en favorisant le libre-échange au Canada) is an act of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. It is sponsored by Vic Fedeli.
Provisions
The legislation allows direct-to-consumer sales of alcohol from anywhere in Canada, as long as the other province or territory treats Ontario producers the same way.[1]
Additionally, skilled tradespeople and doctors would be allowed to work in Canada if they were certified by another province.[1]
Application
In April 2025, the measures relating to direct-to-alcohol sales were agreed through memorandums of understanding between the provincial governments of Ontario and the provincial governments of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.[2] In May 2025, a similar deal was agreed between the provincial government of Ontario and the provincial government of Manitoba.[3] Similar agreements were reached with the provincial governments of Saskatchewan, Alberta and Prince Edward Island in June 2025.[4]
Reception
The legislation was praised by Restaurants Canada.[5]
References
- ^ a b Pearson, Mike (April 16, 2025). "Ontario wants to remove interprovincial trade barriers in response to U.S. tariffs. Here's what it means for alcohol sales, labour mobility". InsideHalton.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2025. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ^ Thomas, Jesse (April 16, 2025). "N.B., N.S. sign agreements with Ontario to remove trade barriers". CP24. Archived from the original on June 24, 2025. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ^ Al Mallees, Nojoud (May 14, 2025). "Ontario, Manitoba reach internal trade agreement, promise alcohol sales deal by end of June". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ^ Draaisma, Muriel (June 1, 2025). "Ontario signs deals with Saskatchewan, P.E.I. and Alberta to reduce trade barriers". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
- ^ "Ontario's free trade legislation is a game changer for Canada's internal trade framework, but more provinces need to get on board". Financial Post. April 17, 2025. Archived from the original on June 24, 2025. Retrieved June 24, 2025.