Ottawa removing half of federal internal trade barriers: source [Video]

Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand informed the provinces Friday that Ottawa will remove more than half of federal internal trade barriers in a move to make Canada less reliant on the United States, according to a senior federal government source.

Anand made the announcement at an informal, virtual meeting of the Committee on Internal Trade, which is responsible for implementing the Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA).

The federal government is removing more than half of the 39 remaining CFTA exceptions to encourage more trade within Canada, according to the source.

CBC News is not identifying the source because they were not authorized to speak publicly. 

The move comes a little more than a week before Canada could be hit with punishing tariffs from its largest trading partner. 

Anand has said previously that the U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats have brought a new sense of urgency to knock down Canada’s internal …