Latest news with #CanadaFreeTradeAgreement
Hamilton Spectator
05-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Territorial premiers say internal trade talks should consider northern context
The premiers of Canada's three territories say the county's push to remove internal trade barriers needs to consider the unique economic situation of the North. Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai, Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson and Northwest Territories Premier P.J. Akeeagok say they will be exploring the creation of a 'territorial trade zone' that would make sure modern treaties with Indigenous people, and the needs of the territories are recognized as trade barriers come down. The premiers met this weekend in Yukon for their annual Northern Premiers' Forum. Pillai says the territories are willing, where possible, to remove trade barriers but any conversations have to consider the legally-binding treaties and self-government agreements that are in place with northern Indigenous governments. Akeeagok says the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement has enshrined articles that give Inuit the right of first refusal on procurement and require consultation for any legislative change. Simpson says even if the territories hold on to some of their exemptions under the Canada Free Trade Agreement, reducing any barriers to doing business will benefit the territories. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2025
CBC
20-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Even parts of the P.E.I. government say we're moving to eliminate trade barriers too quickly
Social Sharing As the P.E.I. government moves full steam ahead toward an agreement to reduce trade barriers and improve labour mobility with Nova Scotia, Ontario and any other provinces that want to join, there are entreaties for the province to slow down — including from within the P.E.I. government itself. Premier Rob Lantz tabled a bill on April 11 modelled on similar legislation recently enacted in Nova Scotia. The goal is to have participating provinces enact laws to recognize each others' regulations, standards and accreditation programs to eliminate trade barriers and promote labour mobility. But professional associations and other groups consulted by the P.E.I. government in the lead-up to tabling its legislation complained the province was moving too quickly and cautioned about potential unintended consequences from the effort that could put the public at risk. One of the complaints came from the director of the province's Financial and Consumer Services Division, according to emails that Lantz tabled in the legislature on April 16. "It is unfortunate the division was not made aware of this parallel legislative initiative," Steve Dowling wrote in an April 4 email to staff with the Department of Workforce and Advance Learning. P.E.I. premier tables act to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers in face of Trump tariffs 3 days ago Duration 1:57 Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz says his new Interprovincial Trade and Mobility Act will make it easier to move goods from province to province, and easier for people to work in other places. The premier hopes to have it in place for Canada Day, in the face of instability regarding markets in the United States. CBC's Stacey Janzer reports. The department sent out consultation drafts of the legislation on the afternoon of Monday, March 31, asking groups to provide feedback during either of two sessions scheduled two days later. "The three-day window accorded to the division to review and respond to the proposed act contrasts significantly with our extensive, proactive and collaborative work with you" on parallel efforts to reduce trade barriers under the Canada Free Trade Agreement, Dowling wrote. Ultimately Dowling suggested his colleagues conduct further consultation and wait for more provinces to put forward similar legislation so that P.E.I. could learn from their work. Ontario tabled its bill on interprovincial trade barriers on April 16. Nova Scotia bill had to be changed The original bill put forward in Nova Scotia by the Tim Houston government required significant amendments after regulatory bodies raised concerns about unintended consequences that could put public safety at risk. Groups including the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association said the original legislation would have removed their ability to monitor who was practising in the province, and leave them unable to detect people posing as regulated professionals. Similar concerns were raised during P.E.I.'s consultation process. The registrar of the P.E.I. Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Jessie MacQuarrie, told the province the proposed legislation would leave the association with no ability to provide oversight or "impose restrictions or suspensions against veterinarians from reciprocating jurisdictions, no matter how egregious the offence." MacQuarrie also said the lack of a requirement in the legislation that accredited individuals also work from an accredited facility would mean that people "could engage in the practice of veterinary medicine from the back of a vehicle in a parking lot." She asked that her group be included as an excluded regulatory authority under the act. The legislation includes specific exclusions for health professions that fall under the Regulated Health Professions Act (which does not include veterinarians) and for the Law Society of P.E.I. Other professions can be excluded from the act when regulations are developed applying to it down the road. Additional professional groups that asked to be excluded from the new law include Island psychologists, teachers, engineers, social workers, chartered professional accountants and land surveyors. P.E.I.'s deputy minister of Housing, Land and Communities, Jamie MacDonald, advised government to limit the recognition of credentials for elevator installers from other provinces. The P.E.I. College of Pharmacy warned of a potential loophole that could let a person with an outstanding criminal charge practise on the Island by providing proof of an outdated criminal records check. The Canadian Labour Congress pointed to research suggesting increased labour mobility could lead to workers leaving one jurisdiction in search of better wages in another. The P.E.I. Association of Social Workers raised concerns that the bill could create a vacuum of professional accountability, warning that if "an individual (service user, client, or patient) experiences harm due to this legislation, there may not be recourse for the individual." Several groups including the P.E.I. Department of Justice said they would struggle to meet the requirement in the bill that certifications for professionals from other jurisdictions be provided within 10 business days. Trying to speed up progress: Lantz On Wednesday in the legislature, the Liberals and Greens filed a joint motion asking for the legislation to be sent to committee for further review. The PCs denied the unanimous consent required to let that motion be debated the same day it was tabled. People in our position have struggled for decades to make any progress on this, because it was approached from the perspective primarily of trying to harmonize regulations and laws across jurisdictions. During question period, Lantz defended comments he had made previously, that the bill represents a "quick and dirty" effort to reduce barriers to trade with other provinces. "People in our position have struggled for decades to make any progress on this, because it was approached from the perspective primarily of trying to harmonize regulations and laws across jurisdictions," Lantz said. "This is a simple approach of mutual recognition that will advance free trade across this country in the simplest way possible and the quickest way possible." Lantz has said he wants the law to be in place by July 1, the date set by Prime Minister Mark Carney to have freer trade between the provinces and territories after meeting with first ministers in March.
CBC
16-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
P.E.I. premier says he would use notwithstanding clause to secure Lands Protection Act
Social Sharing Premier Rob Lantz says he will do whatever it takes to protect P.E.I.'s Lands Protection Act amid concerns about how that legislation would be affected by the governing Progressive Conservatives' proposed bill to eliminate trade barriers between provinces. "I will never compromise our Lands Protection Act," Lantz said Wednesday in the legislature, as PC MLAs applauded loudly. "I would go so far as using the notwithstanding clause to protect our Lands Protection Act here on Prince Edward Island." Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms — known as the notwithstanding clause — allows for premiers or prime ministers to override rulings on legislation that judges have determined would violate sections of the Charter for a five-year period. The clause can only override certain sections of the Charter — including Section 2 and sections 7 to 15, which deal with fundamental freedoms, legal rights and equality rights — but can't be used to override democratic rights. 'Critically important' The PC government's proposed interprovincial trade bill introduced last Friday, would ease the flow of goods to and from other provinces that enact similar legislation, and make it easier for workers in some regulated professions to find employment on the Island. The opposition parties are concerned the legislation would supersede all other laws, including the Lands Protection Act, which limits non-residential land ownership in the province. Green MLA Matt MacFarlane said Wednesday that the lands act is "one of our most unique and important pieces of legislation," adding that it is up to the PC government to ensure nothing is removed from the "critically important protections on land." He noted that Erin McGrath-Gaudet, the province's deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs, said on the floor of the legislature Tuesday that she was only reasonably confident that the Interprovincial Trade and Mobility Act would not negatively impact land protections. "Islanders expect the premier to ensure, without a shadow of a doubt, that our land protection laws are going to be secure," MacFarlane said. When asked whether he would commit to reviewing the interprovinical trade bill to guarantee that no part of it can override or weaken P.E.I.'s land protection laws, Lantz said he is committed to doing so. Federal free trade Prime Minister Mark Carney said last month that he's committed to removing all federal exemptions under the Canada Free Trade Agreement by July 1. MacFarlane asked Lantz whether he is willing to gamble the protection of Island land to be first out of the gate when it comes to removing trade barriers between provinces. "I have heard the federal government — the prime minister and the trade minister — commit to removing federal exemptions from the Canada Free Trade Agreement. I have heard provincial premiers talk about removing all of their party-specific exemptions from the Canada Free Trade Agreement. You haven't heard me say that," Lantz said.
CBC
07-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba distiller cautiously welcomes agreement to lift trade barriers
Brewers and distillers are cautiously optimistic as governments work to remove trade barriers that currently make it hard for alcohol produced in Manitoba to be sold elsewhere in Canada. Earlier this week, the federal government announced it's reached a major deal with most provinces to allow beer and spirits to flow more freely across the country. The governments are expected to have a framework for the deal done within weeks. The latest push to remove the administrative and regulatory burdens that hinder interprovincial trade has been spurred by the on-and-off threats of tariffs on Canadian goods exported to the U.S. Brock Coutts, co-owner of Patent 5 in Winnipeg, said he hopes this make it easy for the company to ship its product to bigger markets like Ontario, though he's wary. "Each of the provinces have a very convoluted bureaucracy with different rules," he told Information Radio. "For everyone to agree on that, I think would be a bit of a challenge." Manitoba is one of the provinces that stand to gain the most by removing the administrative and regulatory barriers that hinder trade, which, according to a 2019 International Monetary Fund report, would add $245 billion to the Canadian economy. The province is one of the most open to alcohol shipments, allowing residents to shop online for booze from other provinces without restrictions. The province is also a signatory of the New West Partnership Trade Agreement, which creates a single economic region with British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Perry Joyal, head brewer and operations manager at Torque Brewing, said their only market outside Manitoba is Saskatchewan. The brewer had previously looked into selling its product in Ontario, but bumped against high costs, including upfront fees to get listed by that province's liquor board. "They're actually kind of prohibitive. We would have to raise our prices to the point where they wouldn't be palatable to the consumer," Joyal said. "Then when you add in the additional cost of having to transport everything a province away as opposed to selling in town here in Winnipeg … it's always been a little bit too expensive for us." The governments have directed the committee in charge of implementing the Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) to developed a countrywide credential recognition plan by June 1. Tyler Dyck, president of the Canadian Craft Distillers Alliance and a vintner in B.C., said distillers and brewers essentially pay "greedy" liquor boards for shelf space. Dyck said the question is to what extent the deal will allow provinces to ship product straight to consumers in other provinces without any markup. The federal government said most first ministers committed to allowing direct-to-consumer sales. The CFTA's action plan calls for the expansion of sales channels for alcoholic beverages. Dyck said distillers in provinces that do not have incentives like agricultural rebates often can't really afford to make their own spirits, so they're forced to import. "All our government liquor stores … they're actually helping every other country's economy much more than they're helping ours, because quite frankly, they're putting them on display and allowing them to occupy 99 per cent of the shelf space," he said. Coutts said cutting the federal component of excise taxes would also help foster local growth. "I just wonder if there's a real strong desire of anyone right now in government to tackle a problem like that," he said.
CBC
06-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ottawa, provinces agree to open the tap on Canadian booze
Social Sharing Ottawa has reached a deal with the majority of provinces to allow Canadian booze to flow more freely across the country just as U.S. liquor is pulled from their store shelves. The move is part of a host of changes being worked on by the federal, provincial and territorial governments that were announced late Wednesday to add $200 billion to the Canadian economy while it's rocked by U.S. tariffs. "This is unprecedented action to reduce trade barriers in Canada," Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand told CBC News. "This is a pivotal moment for Canada to take bold and united action in the face of the United States' unjustified decision to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods." All provinces, except P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador, have agreed to remove the obstacles preventing their alcohol from being sold in other jurisdictions. The provincial governments are expected to seal the agreement in a framework within weeks, which Anand said will lead to more Canadian alcohol sales soon after that. "Buying B.C. wine in Ottawa is going to become a reality, because we are going to see trade barriers come down in Canada," she said. Canada-wide credential recognition for all professions The federal, provincial and territorial governments are also working toward recognizing certified professionals no matter where they received their credentials in Canada. Following a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, the first ministers directed the committee on Internal Trade — which is responsible for implementing the Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) — to develop a Canada-wide credential recognition plan by June 1. WATCH | The path to nixing internal trade barriers: Federal minister suggests interprovincial trade barriers could disappear quickly 29 days ago Duration 2:07 Anand said every profession will be brought under the new structure, but it will be up to provinces and territories to decide which jobs to prioritize. Quebec is behind the move, but the province is expected to adopt the new measures differently since it has linguistic considerations. Along with recognizing labour credentials, the premiers are launching negotiations to allow goods certified in one province to be bought or sold in another without additional red tape, excluding food. The provinces and territories are also reviewing their exceptions under the CFTA to see how many they can eliminate by June 1 to encourage more trade and opportunity. Ottawa recently announced the removal of more than half of the remaining federal exceptions.
