Charlottetown, PEI (July 22, 2026) – Today, Canada’s provincial chambers of commerce welcomed an agreement by nine provinces to enable direct-to-consumer sales of alcoholic beverages across provincial borders. The agreement advances a key priority championed by the Chambers of the Federation to strengthen Canada’s internal market and reduce barriers to trade.

The Chambers of the Federation issued the following statement: “Today, it became easier for Canadians to buy Canadian wine, beer, and spirits from another province than it has been in generations. That’s a win for consumers, a win for producers, and a win for Canada’s economy."

“Premiers have taken an important step from commitment to implementation. This is what progress on internal trade looks like. But this agreement should be the floor, not the ceiling. We encourage premiers to carry this same momentum into labour mobility, regulatory harmonization, procurement modernization, and the nation-building infrastructure projects Canada needs to compete and grow."

“Every internal trade barrier we remove helps Canadian businesses scale, strengthens our economic resilience, and makes Canada more competitive in an increasingly uncertain global market.”

The Chambers of the Federation have made internal trade reform a central advocacy priority over the past year, including through a joint letter to Canada’s premiers, recommendations advanced at the One Canada Summit, and a shared policy framework presented this week, calling for accelerated action to build a more competitive and self-reliant Canadian economy.

Earlier this week, the chief executives of Canada's provincial and territorial chambers of commerce released "Chambers of the Federation: An Agenda for a More Competitive Canada," a joint policy framework shared in advance of Canada’s premiers’ summer meeting in Charlottetown.

The chambers welcomed recent progress on internal trade, labour mobility, and intergovernmental cooperation, and outlined practical actions that governments can advance over the next 12 to 24 months to strengthen economic resilience and competitiveness. 

The framework identifies five priorities for collective action: 

1. Build one Canadian economy by advancing internal trade, labour mobility, and regulatory alignment, making this their highest joint political priority. 
2. Compete globally through a “Team Canada” approach, aligned with the federal government on trade, supply chain resilience, and international competitiveness.  
3. Build and connect Canada's energy and trade infrastructure by identifying nationally significant corridors and coordinating investment plans.  
4. Accelerate approvals for nation-building projects by improving regulatory efficiency and certainty.  
5. Strengthen domestic procurement and industrial capacity to support Canadian businesses and more resilient supply chains. 

"We encourage Canada's Premiers to seize this moment, work together, and turn today's momentum into lasting action. A stronger, more competitive Canada isn't built province by province — it is built together."

Collectively, the signatory chambers represent more than 600 local chambers of commerce and 200,000 businesses of all sizes, sectors and regions. The full framework is available at https://chambersofthefederation.ca/ 

Signatories 

• Rhonda Tulk-Lane, President & CEO, Atlantic Chamber of Commerce; Chair, Chambers of the Federation 
• Daniel Tisch, President & CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce 
• Véronique Proulx, President and CEO, Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec 
• Chuck Davidson, President and CEO, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce 
• Prabha Ramaswamy, CEO, Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
• Shauna Feth, President and CEO, Alberta Chambers of Commerce
• Jen Riley, President and CEO, British Columbia Chamber of Commerce 
• Rowena House, Executive Director, Baffin Chamber of Commerce

For more information, please contact: 

Dana Severson
Manager, Advocacy and Research
Alberta Chambers of Commerce
dseverson@abchamber.ca | Phone: (780) 425-4180 ext. 2

The Chambers of the Federation is a collaborative effort among Canada's provincial and territorial chambers of commerce, presenting a joint, business-informed policy agenda to the Council of the Federation each year in support of shared economic priorities. Learn more at chambersofthefederation.ca.

The Alberta Chambers of Commerce (ACC) is a voluntary federation of 106 independent Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade representing more than 22,000 job creators in communities throughout Alberta. We promote civic, commercial, and industrial progress within Alberta.

The Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce is a member-driven, volunteer-led organization, proudly representing the interests of businesses in our region, and working diligently to stimulate a strengthened and vibrant economy through our connections, support and influence. For over 125 years, the Chamber has stood for promoting business, monitoring government and championing managed growth in the local economy. The Chamber represents close to 900 businesses in our region and is aligned with the Alberta Chambers of Commerce (ACC), which represents over 24,000 businesses, the Canadian Chambers of Commerce (CCC), which represents over 200,000 businesses and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), representing over 45 million companies in more than 170 countries. With the largest and most influential business organizations locally, provincially, federally and internationally, the Chamber network is the most unified, valued and influential business network in Canada and works together to shape policy and programs that will make a difference to businesses in our region.