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ARTICLE · 14 JULY 2017

Canada's Procurement System Gets A Boost: CFTA Now In Effect, CETA On Its Heels

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
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On July 1, 2017, the widely anticipated update to Canada's domestic trade agreement, the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), came into force.

CanadaInternational Law
Marianne Smith
Marianne Smith
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On July 1, 2017, the widely anticipated update to Canada's domestic trade agreement, the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), came into force. The CFTA is an agreement among the Canadian provinces, territories and the federal government and replaces the 1995 Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT).

The CFTA is more comprehensive than the AIT because it covers nearly every sector of the Canadian economy, whereas the AIT only covered specific sectors and industries. The changes are intended to align with the requirements of Canada's international commitments, such as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union (CETA), expected to begin provisional application on September 21, 2017.

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