Latest news with #RyanMallough
Globe and Mail
08-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Nine provinces, Yukon aim to launch direct-to-consumer alcohol sales by May
Nine provinces and one territory have agreed to allow direct-to-consumer alcohol sales between their jurisdictions and are aiming to do so by May, 2026. Federal, provincial and territorial representatives on the Committee on Internal Trade announced on Tuesday that all provinces – with the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador – and the Yukon have signed a memorandum of understanding to allow DTC sales. The non-binding agreement builds on a commitment made in March to remove barriers to alcohol sales, though progress has proven to be slower than initially promised. 'I think that there was a lot of optimism when we saw a number of provinces say that they're getting their frameworks in place,' said Ryan Mallough, vice-president of legislative affairs and communications at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. 'And to hear that we're about a year away is a little bit disappointing.' Ontario, Nova Scotia premiers say they won't follow Alberta in buying U.S. alcohol again Opinion: Internal free trade by Canada Day? It'll take longer than that Christopher Skeete, Quebec's minister for the economy, said the provincial and territorial governments are taking their time with establishing DTC sales to ensure they get it right. 'We're starting from scratch, something that's never been done before in Canadian history – that is to align all the provinces for sales, direct sales to consumers of alcohol,' Mr. Skeete said in a news conference Tuesday. 'That means making sure that, for instance, if you're shipping your goods from British Columbia and you want to ship it to Quebec, we need to make sure that the taxation is right.' In March, the federal government and all provinces, with the exception of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, agreed to remove barriers to alcohol sales. Former internal trade minister Anita Anand told The Globe and Mail at the time that the agreement would lead to direct-to-consumer sales in some jurisdictions within weeks. Since then, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has signed several memorandums of understanding on internal trade with other provinces that commit to working on direct-to-consumer sales. Several provinces have also made the necessary legislative changes to allow them to move forward with DTC sales. And on Tuesday, PEI and the Yukon joined the other provinces by committing to establishing DTC sales as well. But the vow to rapidly knock down internal trade barriers to counteract U.S. tariffs has not come to fruition. Ontario and Manitoba missed their June 30 deadline to reach a bilateral deal. Now, nine jurisdictions will have to negotiate with one another to establish their own agreements. Jean-Claude D'Amours, New Brunswick's minister of intergovernmental affairs, said his province will be ready to launch direct-to-consumer sales in a month, but the timeline will depend on when other provinces will be ready to do the same. Beer Canada president CJ Hélie said in a recent interview that provinces are trying to ensure that the fiscal and regulatory framework to any DTC sales program is fair, so that producers selling directly to consumers in another jurisdiction are subject to the same fees and rules that a local producer faces. Mr. Hélie said that while his organization supports government efforts to allow direct-to-consumer alcohol sales, brewers don't stand to benefit much from the move. That's because beer is a low-priced product relative to its weight, meaning shipping it directly to customers in another jurisdiction would add a lot to its cost. 'It's important symbolically that consumers should be able to access the beer brands they want, how they want, when they want, but we do not see a commercial opportunity there,' Mr. Hélie said.
Cision Canada
08-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Committee on Internal Trade meeting a test for Canada's internal trade commitments Français
TORONTO, July 8, 2025 /CNW/ - With the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) meeting later today, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has sent committee members a letter calling for progress and clarity around key commitments on a pan-Canadian mutual recognition agreement on goods, and direct-to-consumer alcohol delivery. "As we noted in our annual Internal Trade Report Card last week, there has been more progress on removing trade barriers within Canada in the past six months than in eight years since the Canadian Free Trade Agreement was signed," said SeoRhin Yoo, senior policy analyst for interprovincial affairs. "But with multiple jurisdictions taking multiple approaches on the file, there is potential for a confusing patchwork of rules and regulations. The CIT is a critical piece to stop that from happening and provide the clarity small businesses need to move forward and plan with confidence." At the June 2, 2025 First Ministers meeting in Sakskatoon, the premiers and Prime Minister directed the CIT to "rapidly conclude a comprehensive Mutual Recognition Agreement covering consumer goods, in alignment with CIT discussions, with implementation by December 2025." Given seven jurisdictions have already passed mutual recognition legislation, CFIB is seeking clarity on what a CIT agreement would mean for both the provinces with existing legislation and for the internal trade file as a whole. Additionally, after the March 5 First Ministers meeting in Ottawa it was noted that many provinces were working on allowing direct-to-consumer alcohol delivery across provincial borders. While many provinces have a framework in place, currently only Manitoba allows for full direct-to-consumer interjurisdictional shipment of Canadian wine, craft beer and spirits. "People can order a pair of shoes or a board game from one coast to the other, but in most provinces, you still can't get a bottle of wine, or a case of beer delivered from the province next door," said Ryan Mallough, vice-president of legislative affairs. "It's 2025. It makes no sense to leave alcohol delivery in the 1800s. Several provinces have gotten their legislative frameworks in place, but we need to see more action to allow goods to get moving." Read CFIB's full Interprovincial Cooperation Report Card. About CFIB The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada's largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners' chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at
CTV News
30-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Nova Scotia gets high marks in internal trade report card: CFIB
The Nova Scotia flag flies next to the Canadian flag. (Source: Jonathan MacInnis/CTV News Atlantic) The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) is giving Nova Scotia the highest mark in its report card on internal trade while the other Maritime provinces received more mixed evaluations. CFIB is an advocacy group for small and medium-size businesses with 100,000 members. Its 2025 State of Internal Trade report looks at ongoing efforts to remove interprovincial trade barriers. 'While progress to date has been encouraging, we also have seven different jurisdictions taking seven different approaches to mutual recognition. That kind of patchwork can wind up recreating the barriers it was meant to knock down,' said Ryan Mallough, vice-president of legislative affairs for CFIB, in a news release. 'The premiers and the prime minister have instructed the Committee on Internal Trade to reach a pan-Canadian mutual recognition agreement for December.' The report broke down its grading of the provinces in three categories: Canadian Free Trade Agreement exceptions (40 per cent of the grade) Select barriers to internal trade (20 per cent of the grade) Status of items from reconciliation agreements (40 per cent of the grade) There was also a bonus indicator for provinces that accept the regulations and standards of other regions. Nova Scotia, which introduced the Free Trade and Mobility within Canada Act last February, received an overall 'A' (9.4 out of 10) grade in the report. It scored an 'F' (2.3) for agreement exceptions, a 'D' (5.9) for select barriers and an 'A-' (8.9) for reconciliation agreements. It also got an 8.5 for its bonus indicator. Nova Scotia scored the highest on the report card with Ontario and Manitoba rounding out the top three with an 'A' (9.2) and an 'A-' (8.9), respectively. Prince Edward Island landed in the middle of the pack with a 'B' (7.8). It got an 'F' (3.1) for agreement exceptions, a 'D' (4.7) for select barriers and an 'A-' (8.8) for reconciliation agreements. It scored a one for its bonus indicator. New Brunswick scored two placements below P.E.I., earning a 'C' (6.6). It got a 'D' (4.8) for agreement exceptions, a 'D' (4.7) for select barriers and a 'B+' (8.5) for reconciliation agreements. It also got a one for its bonus indicator. All three territories (Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories) scored the lowest overall with a 'D' grade.
Hamilton Spectator
30-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
CFIB says internal trade barriers coming down, but patchwork could create challenges
TORONTO - A new report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says progress has been made on removing trade barriers within Canada, but it adds that the patchwork of approaches could create new issues. Ryan Mallough, CFIB's vice-president of legislative affairs, says the progress has been encouraging, but there are also seven different jurisdictions taking seven different approaches to mutual recognition. He says the patchwork could wind up recreating the barriers it was meant to knock down. One study estimates that existing internal trade hurdles cost the economy some $200 billion a year. The federal and provincial governments have been working to remove internal trade barriers in the face of U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Bill C-5, the omnibus bill that reduces federal restrictions on interprovincial trade and also speeds up permitting for large infrastructure projects, became law on June 26. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
30-06-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
CFIB says internal trade barriers coming down, but patchwork could create challenges
TORONTO – A new report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says progress has been made on removing trade barriers within Canada, but it adds that the patchwork of approaches could create new issues. Ryan Mallough, CFIB's vice-president of legislative affairs, says the progress has been encouraging, but there are also seven different jurisdictions taking seven different approaches to mutual recognition. He says the patchwork could wind up recreating the barriers it was meant to knock down. One study estimates that existing internal trade hurdles cost the economy some $200 billion a year. The federal and provincial governments have been working to remove internal trade barriers in the face of U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Bill C-5, the omnibus bill that reduces federal restrictions on interprovincial trade and also speeds up permitting for large infrastructure projects, became law on June 26. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2025.
