Reconciliation Agreement to Improve Interjurisdictional Commerce and the Mobility of Gasfitters (2025)

The negotiation of this Reconciliation Agreement (Agreement) was led by the members of the Provincial-Territorial Advisory Committee (PTAC) of the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), acknowledged by the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table (RCT) to act as the RCT Working Group on Gasfitter Labour Mobility.

The purpose of this Reconciliation Agreement (“Agreement”) is to strengthen interjurisdictional commerce by facilitating the mobility of gasfitters from one Canadian jurisdiction to another, enhancing nation-wide recognition of credentials and experience and technical safety. This Agreement also improves labour mobility timeliness by establishing commitments to allow gasfitters to practice this trade from one province or territory to another in a more expeditious manner.

The implementation of this Agreement will:

1. Build on the obligation of Chapter 7 of the CFTA requiring certification be issued expeditiously by establishing a timeline for Parties to review, assess, and provide a response to completed applications submitted by gasfitters, in good standing, from another province or territory to facilitate labour mobility and support industry in attracting gasfitters;
2. Commit Parties to the timely and aligned incorporation by reference of several relevant fuel safety standards in provincial and territorial regulatory measures to promote the adoption of the same editions of the standards in a timely fashion across jurisdictions with as few exceptions, variations, or deviations as possible and to remove exceptions, variations, or deviations that may impact gasfitters’ training, education, and scope of work;
3. Build on the obligations of Chapter 7 of the CFTA and further facilitate labour mobility by ensuring that the process and requirements to be met for a Party to recognize the certification of an incoming gasfitter from another province or territory are clearly communicated to ensure clarity when gasfitters or employers are pursuing labour mobility between provinces and territories. This includes a table of equivalency of titles and certificates to provide authorities in each jurisdiction with the appropriate information that will expedite the process of recognition to meet the timelines stated within this Agreement.

The Governments of Canada, Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut are parties to the CFTA and those governments that are signatories to this Reconciliation Agreement, shall work collaboratively with the Interprovincial/territorial Gas Advisory Council (“IGAC”) to support the implementation of the obligations contained in this Agreement, as necessary.

This Agreement shall enter into force on November 1, 2025.