Key Dates

  • March 13, 2009: The Premiers of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan committed to explore opportunities to expand trade and investment opportunities and to reduce impediments to trade, investment, and labour mobility.
  • April 30, 2010: The Premiers of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan signed a far-reaching New West Partnership including the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA). The Agreement created the largest, most open and competitive interprovincial marketplace in Canada, eliminating obstacles to trade, investment and labour mobility among the three provinces.
  • July 1, 2010: The NWPTA came into effect.
    • British Columbia and Alberta were fully subject to the NWPTA.
    • Saskatchewan's departments, ministries, agencies, boards, councils, committees, commissions and similar agencies of government were fully subject to the NWPTA except for specified transitional measures.
  • July 1, 2012: Saskatchewan's Crown Corporations, municipal governments, school boards and publicly-funded academic, health and social service entities, as well as any corporation or entity owned or controlled by them, became subject to the NWPTA.
  • July 1, 2013: The last remaining transitional measure, Saskatchewan financial services, became subject to the NWPTA and accordingly, the NWPTA was fully implemented.  
  • January 6, 2015: The First Protocol of Amendment to the NWPTA was signed, bringing into force amendments that clarify labour mobility language and dispute resolution provisions.
  • July 1, 2015:  The bid protest mechanism (BPM) that was incorporated into the NWPTA by the First Protocol of Amendment came into force.
  • November, 2016: The NWPTA Second Protocol of Amendment and a Protocol of Accession were signed to incorporate Manitoba into the NWPTA.
  • January 1, 2017: Manitoba joined the NWPTA.
  • June 2, 2017: Manitoba's The Consumer Protection Act and The Prearranged Funeral Services Act became subject to the application of Article 11 (Investment).

  • July 1, 2017: Manitoba’s Crown Corporations became subject to the application of Article 14 (Procurement).

  • January 1, 2018: Manitoba measures identified for a one-year transition became subject to the NWPTA, including:

    • Posting of tender notices to electronic sites for all ministries
    • Registration reciprocity for temporary inter- and intra-provincial vehicle operations
    • Rights to haying, foraging or grazing on Crown land
  • January 1, 2019: The Third Protocol of Amendment came into effect, replacing NWPTA's BPM with a new BPM that applies not just to the NWPTA but to multiple trade agreements.
  • January 1, 2019:  Manitoba's government-owned commercial enterprises and other enterprises that are owned or controlled by Manitoba through ownership interest, municipal governments, school boards and publicly-funded academic, health and social service entities, as well as any corporation or entity owned or controlled by them, became subject to the procurement obligations of the NWPTA. The obligation to reconcile existing standards and regulations not otherwise expressly addressed in this Agreement applies.
  • January 1, 2020: Manitoba's financial services and business registration and reporting will become subject to the NWPTA.

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