Memorandum of Understanding Between: The Government of Ontario And The Government of Nova Scotia (hereinafter jointly referred to as “the Parties”)

WHEREAS interprovincial trade barriers cost Canada up to $200 billion annually, and their removal has the potential to increase Canadian GDP by as much as 7.9 per cent over the long term;

AND WHEREAS the Canadian economy is currently subject to economic and geopolitical uncertainty, including various tariffs and tariff threats by the United States on Canadian products, which threaten Canadian workers and businesses;

AND WHEREAS the Parties are committed to significantly expanding the ability of workers and businesses within their respective jurisdictions to take advantage of commercial opportunities across Canada, and in doing so strengthen Canada’s economy;

AND WHEREAS the Parties trust federal, provincial and territorial regulatory bodies to make sound decisions that put the safety of Canadians first;

AND WHEREAS the Parties are demonstrating leadership by introducing enabling legislation aimed at leveraging reciprocal mutual recognition to significantly reduce barriers to trade with other provinces and territories, and entering into a reciprocal mutual recognition arrangement;

AND WHEREAS Ontario has been a leader in expanding opportunities for registered workers from other Canadian jurisdictions to work in Ontario, including through its “As of Right” model;

AND WHEREAS New Brunswick has demonstrated leadership by tabling legislation that will enable direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales of alcohol as well as legislation to improve interprovincial labour mobility

Through this Memorandum of Understanding, the Parties agree to:

  1. Build on their respective enabling legislation to remove internal trade barriers between them, so as to boost the flow of direct-to-consumer sales of alcohol, to improve interprovincial labour mobility, flow of goods, services, investment, and workers, while maintaining and strengthening levels of public safety. Through Ontario’s bill entitled Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act and New Brunswick’s bill entitled An Act to Amend the Fair Registration Practices in Regulated Professions Act, and any additional legislation that may be required in the future, the Parties will strive to ensure that a good or equivalent service or registered worker that is deemed acceptable for sale, use or work in Ontario, is deemed acceptable for sale, use or work in New Brunswick – and vice versa.
  1. Encourage other Canadian jurisdictions that have not already done so to join New Brunswick and Ontario in driving progress on internal trade by tabling their own legislation to reciprocally remove barriers to trade across Canada, including through mutual recognition.
  1. Further facilitate interprovincial labour mobility by working together to identify options to align regulated occupations and registration.
  1. Ontario will not maintain any Party-specific Exceptions (PSEs) under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA). New Brunswick will work towards the non-application of PSEs under the CFTA with respect to Ontario.
  1. Work together on a bilateral framework for a DTC system, as well as with all other interested Canadian jurisdictions to establish a pan-Canadian framework for DTC access to alcoholic beverages, so that producers have easier access to market opportunities across the country, and so that consumers across Canada have greater choice and access to a broader selection of alcoholic beverages.
  1. This Memorandum of Understanding sets out the understanding of the Parties with respect to their cooperation but is not legally binding and does not create any legal, equitable or financial rights, obligations or liabilities for either of the Parties.

Signed on the 16th day of April in the year 2025 in Toronto, Ontario.

Premier Doug Ford, Government of Ontario

Premier Susan Holt, Government of New Brunswick