The federal government will remove more than half of its exceptions from the Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) as part of a push to liberalize trade within the country, according to a senior government official.

The agreement, signed by the federal, provincial and territorial governments, aims to eliminate and reduce trade barriers, but gives the governments flexibility to name exceptions.

Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand is expected to announce the move to provinces during an informal meeting of the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT), made up of federal and provincial officials who supervise the implementation of the CFTA.

The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.