As the Government of Canada moves quickly to reduce interprovincial trade barriers through Bill C-5 and the Free Trade and Labour Mobility Act, the organic sector has taken proactive steps to safeguard the integrity of its certification system.
A joint letter was submitted by COTA and Canada’s national and regional organic partner organizations to Ministers Dominic LeBlanc and Chrystia Freeland as well as government staff on August 6, 2025. Based on member and sector feedback, it calls for an exemption for organic products from the Free Trade and Labour Mobility Act and Regulations, which proposes that goods or services meeting the requirements of a province or territory be recognized as meeting comparable federal requirements, thus facilitating trade across Canada.
The letter emphasizes that the Canada Organic Regime (COR) already facilitates interprovincial trade and international equivalency, making additional legislation unnecessary and potentially harmful. COR certification already ensures supply chain integrity, consumer trust, and compliance with international standards.
The new Free Trade and Labour Mobility Act will come into force once its accompanying regulations are finalized. These regulations are currently being developed on an accelerated timeline—the government aims to have them in place by fall 2025—and will outline specific conditions and any applicable exemptions.
A Notice of Intent for public consultation (required for all new regulations) was published on August 2 with feedback to be submitted by August 22. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, who is managing the application of the regulations to food has partnered with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce to launch a series of in-person and virtual roundtables. We encourage members to reference our joint letter should they be asked for feedback.
For additional questions, please contact My-Lien Bosch at mbosch@canada-organic.ca.
The undersigned organic sector organizations and partners in Canada
- Canada Organic Trade Association
- Canadian Organic Growers
- Organic Federation of Canada
- Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network
- Filière biologique du Québec
- Manitoba Organics
- Organic Alberta
- Organic BC
- Organic Council of Ontario
- Organic Nova Scotia
- SaskOrganics
- Union des producteurs agricoles
- Canadian Health Food Association