Canada is aiming to make “incredible, fast-paced progress” in removing three major trade barriers, Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand told reporters on Wednesday.
Premiers across Canada have mentioned the possibility of reducing interprovincial trade barriers as a way to boost the country’s economy. It’s one of the measures being discussed as a way to mitigate the potential imposition of American tariffs in March. Suzanne Lapointe spoke to an economist about what that could mean for Canadians.“We had an urgent meeting on Friday of the relevant ministers. At that meeting, we reached three strong recommendations,” she said.
The Canadian Free Trade Agreement is an intergovernmental trade agreement signed by the federal government and all 13 provinces and territories that entered into force in July 2017.Anand said the committee also agreed to make labour mobility across Canada smoother, making it easier for a professional certified in one province to practice in another.
“You’re going to see these barriers coming down and there is no need for legislation in order for that to happen,” she said. Any legislation would not be able to be passed while Parliament is prorogued, and it is not set to return until March 24 — but that could be longer if an election is called before that.“Substantial progress can be made in the short term in reducing barriers to interprovincial trade in goods and services,” she said.
“The federal government has committed to us that they’ll knock off as many barriers as possible. We’ll do the same and every other province will do the same. We need to have free trade right across this country,” he said. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce says it is encouraging to see political momentum on removing barriers between provinces, but it needs to be sustained.
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