ACTA Advocates for Travel Industry Regulatory Reform Following BC-Ontario Trade Agreement

Following the recent Memorandum of Understanding between British Columbia and Ontario to eliminate barriers to trade and services, ACTA has reached out separately to Ontario's and BC's ministers, key federal ministers, and representatives of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement Regulatory Cooperation Table, advocating for the removal of interprovincial regulatory barriers that continue to impede travel agencies and independent travel advisors. These outreach efforts highlight two critical issues: the non-recognition of provincial licensing between jurisdictions and barriers to travel insurance distribution across provincial boundaries.

ACTA's advocacy emphasizes how current regulations force travel businesses to maintain duplicate licenses, undergo redundant application processes, and comply with duplicative reporting requirements to operate in multiple provinces. This regulatory fragmentation particularly impacts the growing host agency model, where back-office providers must obtain separate provincial licenses to support independent travel advisors in different provinces, despite already meeting equivalent standards elsewhere. The association is calling for mutual recognition agreements that would allow agencies to operate interprovincially with a single license while maintaining robust consumer protection through information sharing and coordinated enforcement - ensuring Canadian travel professionals can serve clients seamlessly across provincial boundaries without compromising consumer safety standards.

2025-08-01 11:01:00