On March 19, 2026, Startup Canada Global, in partnership with Export Development Canada (EDC) and UPS, hosted a webinar, Navigating Inter-Provincial Trade in Canada. The session brought together industry experts and a government representative to dig into one of the most overlooked growth opportunities for Canadian businesses. Our panellists included Nerissa Allen of Nerissa Allen Consulting, Michael Hoher of Export Navigator, and Joshua Counsil of Good Robot Brewing Company, alongside government representative Ryan Tolusso from the Privy Council Office. Here’s a recap of what was covered.
The $210 Billion Opportunity
Inter-provincial trade accounts for 17% of Canada’s GDP, or about $500 billion, but according to the experts on our panel, there’s a lot more potential sitting on the table. Removing the remaining internal trade barriers could add $210 billion to the national economy each year. For entrepreneurs, that highlights a huge opportunity for business growth.
The Regulatory Landscape Is Shifting
Ryan Tolusso from the Privy Council Office walked the group through two federal initiatives that are making cross-provincial business a bit less complicated: the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement. Both are designed to bring provincial regulations closer together and reduce the friction involved in moving goods and services across borders. That said, regulation is only one piece of it. Operating in multiple provinces still takes real preparation before your first shipment goes out.
Get Your Home Market Right First
The panellists were consistent on this: expanding too quickly is a mistake. The recommendation was to establish a strong footing in your local market first, build reliable cash flow, and prove out your model before taking it elsewhere. One of the most compelling takeaways was to think of inter-provincial trade as a testing ground, a lower-risk environment to work through compliance and operational challenges before going international.
Nerissa Allen’s advice was to start with a compliance gap assessment. Begin with federal requirements as your foundation, then look at where specific provinces differ on things like labelling, inspections, and safety standards. Michael Hoher kept it even more foundational: clean bookkeeping and accurate export pricing are the baseline. Without those, everything else gets harder.
Going National Is More Complicated Than It Sounds
Canada’s size creates real logistical challenges. Shipping between provinces can actually be more complex, and sometimes more expensive, than crossing into the U.S. Joshua Counsil from Good Robot Brewing shared his company’s experience entering a new province without a fully developed marketing plan. It did not go smoothly, and pulling back cost them. The takeaway for entrepreneurs is to treat each province like a real market entry
You Do Not Have to Work Through This Alone
Business expansion can be overwhelming when expanding outside your local market, but there are solid resources available to help. Export Navigator, EDC, and peer networks like the Wallace McCain Institute are all set up to support businesses working through the complexity of expanding provincially. The clearest theme from the session was to use them. The legislative landscape is a lot to navigate on your own, and there are people and organizations whose job it is to help.
You can also watch the full webinar recording on YouTube and explore the resources mentioned in the session.
Watch the full webinar here.
Access our full resource list here.
If you found this interesting, Startup Canada Global hosts many webinars throughout the year as part of their programming. You can see our full schedule and register here.