The Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) entered into force on July 1, 1995, and includes government departments, agencies, commissions and

Crown corporations A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...

of the 10 Canadian provinces, the three territories and the federal government. The Agreement on Internal Trade is an intergovernmental agreement between the federal government and the provinces and territories to reduce and eliminate barriers to free movement of people,

goods In economics, goods are items that satisfy human wants and provide utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase of a satisfying product. A common distinction is made between goods which are transferable, and services, which are not t ...

services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a p ...

and investments within Canada. Under the Agreement, these governments have agreed to apply the principles of non-discrimination, transparency, openness and accessibility with respect to their procurement opportunities and those of their municipalities and municipal organizations, school boards and publicly funded academic, health and social services entities. The Agreement covers only those tenders where the procurement value exceeds a specified amount. Currently, the thresholds require that all institutions in the MASH sector (Municipal/Academic/Social Services/Healthcare) tender for public bidding contracts worth $100,000 or more, or in the case of construction, $250,000 or more. The agreement mandates the "equal" treatment of people, goods and services anywhere in Canada. That means businesses in any province or territory are to be considered for procurement bids, eliminating "buy local" policies. There are some exceptions in the deal. Provinces or municipalities can still designate sole-source suppliers in particular circumstances. Its ultimate goal is to eliminate barriers to trade, investments and product mobility.

External links

AIT Introduction

Canada’s Problem: Domestic Trade Barriers
1995 in Canadian law Economy of Canada Economic history of Canada Federalism in Canada {{Canada-gov-stub

See also

External links