Quebec tables bill to begin removing interprovincial trade barriers

Globe and Mail

2 days ago

Quebec has introduced legislation to start taking down barriers that frustrate interprovincial trade, the latest province to take such action as Canada's political leaders hunt for ways to boost economic growth to counter U.S. tariffs.
Christopher Skeete, Quebec's minister for the economy, tabled a bill Friday that facilitates the trade of goods from other provinces and the territories of Canada through a unilateral recognition of product manufacturing standards.
This means goods from outside Quebec legally 'commercialized, used or consumed' inside the province without complying with any additional regulations.
The bill gives the government the power to exclude some goods from the effort, however, and it has to make those exceptions public.
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A second piece of the proposed legislation touches on labour mobility. It aims to reduce bureaucratic requirements and make it easier for workers in other provinces who have professional certification to have those credentials recognized in Quebec.
Boosting interprovincial trade is 'a priority, particularly in our current climate of uncertainty,' Mr. Skeete said in a statement. 'Our actions will allow us to build an ever more resilient and productive economy without compromising our values ​​and what sets us apart."
Premiers, federal politicians and business leaders across the country have been discussing opening up trade within Canada to shore up the country's economy, amid the loss of access to U.S. markets because of the current and potential future tariffs imposed by the White House on Canadian goods.
Quebec is the fifth province to introduce or adopt bills aiming to eliminate trade barriers, following Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Manitoba also tabled legislation but it's not as comprehensive as that of the other provinces, according to the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), a free-market think tank.
Quebec's bill is 'a major breakthrough for interprovincial trade,' said Gabriel Giguère, MEI senior policy analyst. Still, he warned that the longer its list of exceptions is, the more limited the benefits will be.
Eliminating all trade barriers between Quebec and all other Canadian provinces could boost Canada's gross domestic product by $69.9-billion, the MEI estimates. The elimination of trade barriers between Quebec and Ontario alone could boost the country's GDP by $32.2-billion, it says.