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Quebec tables bill to begin removing interprovincial trade barriers
Quebec tables bill to begin removing interprovincial trade barriers

Globe and Mail

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • Globe and Mail

Quebec tables bill to begin removing interprovincial trade barriers

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. Opinion: How to win a trade war 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.

Northern premiers show openness to removing trade barriers with western provinces
Northern premiers show openness to removing trade barriers with western provinces

CBC

time23-05-2025

  • Business
  • CBC

Northern premiers show openness to removing trade barriers with western provinces

Territorial premiers are signalling openness to removing trade barriers with western provinces, but not without conditions. Speaking after the conclusion of a western and northern premiers' summit in Yellowknife on Thursday, Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai said B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have invited the territories to join their trade pact, the New West Partnership Trade Agreement. "They've opened up the door for us, with flexibility and respect to the North, for us to sign on to the western trade agreement that's in place," said Pillai. "My sense from my colleagues from the other territories, and ourselves from the Yukon, are that's something that we think is important." In a joint statement on Thursday, the western premiers urged all provinces and territories to join the New West Partnership. The federal government prioritized freeing up trade within Canada after U.S. President Donald Trump launched a trade war with Canada in the winter. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his government and Canada's premiers have agreed to developing a national trade strategy. On Thursday, the western and northern premiers said "unjustified and unreasonable tariffs" are creating uncertainty for workers and businesses in western Canada. They called on the federal government to "reassess" Canada's retaliatory tariffs and their impacts on people in Canada. Indigenous gov'ts must be involved in trade decisions: Pillai It's unclear what joining the western trade bloc would mean for existing protections for Northern and Indigenous businesses. In the Northwest Territories for example, the Business Incentive Policy (BIP) gives preferential treatment to N.W.T.-owned businesses bidding on government contracts. The Yukon has a similar procurement policy related to Yukon First Nations-owned businesses. Pillai pointed to the North's high concentration of modern treaties and said "we can't make a unilateral decision about removing a certain exception without sitting down with Indigenous governments and figuring out what's best for all northerners." Earlier this month the northern premiers said they would explore the possibility of a "territorial trade zone" that would account for modern treaties. N.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson did not commit outright to maintaining BIP if and when trade barriers come down, but said on Thursday that his government does want to make sure that public money spent in the North benefits northerners. "We're not opposed to inviting companies from other parts of Canada to come up here and do business and work, but we need to make sure that we have the ability to support local businesses so that we don't just become a colony for the rest of Canada," he said. Simpson said previously that efforts to allow freer trade across Canada will likely mean the N.W.T. will have to "give up some things." Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe called the New West Partnership the "gold standard" when it comes to free trade, labour mobility and procurement rules. Moe said the western provinces would consider some exemptions for the territories, should they choose to join. "The four host provinces of the New West Partnership are more than willing to look at that," he said. The premiers talked about a range of issues in their closed-door meetings, including energy and Arctic security, economic corridors, housing, drug trafficking and emergency preparedness. But outside those meeting rooms, the conference was overshadowed by Alberta separation rhetoric, and worries about the impacts on N.W.T. young people of Alberta's Bill 26, which restricts gender-affirming care for minors. Wednesday evening, after the first day of meetings, the Dene Nation and the Northern Mosaic Network held rallies outside the Legislative Assembly building in Yellowknife to show support for treaty rights and trans rights. Last week Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government passed legislation that would make it easier to hold a referendum. At the same time, separatist groups in the province have been pushing for a provincial vote on Alberta seceding from Canada. Dene National Chief George Mackenzie said the Smith government's actions send a message to the Treaty people of Alberta: "If you're not happy, leave Alberta." "To say that to Alberta Natives is like a slap in the face. An insult," Mackenzie told CBC. Treaties 6, 7 and 8 encompass vast swaths of territory in Alberta and other provinces. Treaty 8 also covers a portion of the Northwest Territories. On Thursday, Smith re-stated her desire for "a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada." "The frustration that Alberta has, has been that it's been a lot easier to do business with our southern neighbour than it's been to do business across the country," she said. Smith said that if Carney acts on ideas in the western and northern premiers' joint statement, "it would take the wind right out of any [separation] effort."

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