On September 17, the Minister of Justice and SaskBuilds announced that Saskatchewan’s Crown corporations will now take advantage of exemptions within the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) to allow preferential treatment for businesses within Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC, the three provinces that are part of the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA).
 
Effective September 1, 2015, SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskTel, the Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC), Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI), Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA), and Saskatchewan Opportunities Corporation (SOC) started to prioritize procurement from NWPTA suppliers. In order to procure from other parts of Canada or the world, the Crowns must now justify that the skill set or commodity required is not available within the NWPTA trading region.
 In working with Priority SK, it has been made very clear to ACEC-SK that the government of Saskatchewan is strongly committed to honouring its trade obligations, but it is working hard to broadly interpret those trade agreements where possible to support local businesses. This decision allows the stipulated Crowns to take advantage of available exemptions within the AIT while adhering to the NWPTA. 

See government’s announcement here.