Interprovincial trucking and the removal of interprovincial trade barriers were on the list of discussion topics as Canada’s First Ministers wrapped up their meeting in Ottawa on Jan. 29, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA). Among other issues on the agenda were tariffs, border security and the upcoming Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) review.

CTA says the Memorandum of Understanding on Interprovincial Trucking was also discussed. In a separate news release, the government said that removing barriers to internal trade in Canada will achieve an estimated $210B in GDP gains over time.

Leaders also committed to enhancing border security and enforcement resources to address Canada’s growing extortion crisis, an issue that CTA says is increasingly affecting trucking fleets.

“The Canadian Trucking Alliance, and its provincial association members will continue to work with Ottawa and our provincial legislatures to make our industry stronger, more efficient, safer and compliant to better serve all aspects of the Canadian economy,” said CTA’s CEO and President Stephen Laskowski.

“This will be an important year for the trucking industry, with the expected launch of an internal trade barrier working group, an announcement on CCMTA deliverables regarding truck safety, federal Driver Inc. Committee recommendations, Budget 2025 deliverables, and CUSMA discussions,” he added. “The outcomes of these issues will be critical to shaping the future of our sector.”