British Columbia earned a grade of “A-” in the latest internal trade report card from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
The CFIB said Wednesday that B.C. had made progress in improving interprovincial trade, but many small businesses still said they had not seen improvements in their operations.
The small business advocacy group said the rankings take into account Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) exceptions, the existence of inter-jurisdictional barriers to internal trade and progress on implementing reconciliation agreements.
The federal government earned an “A+” and nine provinces and Yukon earned an “A” grade.
CFIB said B.C.’s score was lower because there are still barriers that affect businesses trying to sell and operate across provincial borders.
A 2025 agreement negotiated by federal, provincial and territorial governments aims to reduce barriers to the sale of goods across the country by ensuring that a product that is approved for sale in one jurisdiction can be sold across Canada, unless a government has specific rules in place.
Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement (CMRA) applies to the sale of a wide range of goods, including appliances, industrial machinery, vehicles, electronics, furniture, clothing, household goods.
B.C. passed tariff response legislation in early 2025 that included moves to reduce trade barriers between provinces, but the measures were set to expire this spring.
The government passed legislation in March, called the Trade Recognition Act, to make the framework permanent.
“Although B.C. has been a strong voice for lowering internal trade barriers, it missed out on an A grade by not bringing Trade Recognition Act into force,” said Ryan Mitton, CFIB’s Director of Legislative Affairs for B.C. “The legislation may have passed, but it is simply just a piece of paper right now. We’re calling on the province to immediately bring the Trade Recognition Act into force to help local businesses.”
B.C. was one of three jurisdictions to fall short of an “A.” Nunavut earned a “C-”, and the CFIB Newfoundland and Labrador was not included in this year’s report due to a change in government last fall.
It still marked a step up from the “B+” grade B.C. earned from CFIB in 2025.
