Sarah Mills: Trade barriers should be top priority for Carney, premiers
As Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Canada's premiers in Saskatoon on Monday, Sarah Mills says the focus at the tab...
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have signed a memorandum of understanding, agreeing to remove all trade barriers between the two provinces.
“A good that is acceptable in Saskatchewan should be just as acceptable in Ontario. And a service that is offered in our province, should also be offered equally in their province, and vice versa,” said Moe.
Moe said there would also be a new focus on interprovincial labour mobility to help people move between work in the two provinces.
Work will also begin on alcohol sales between Saskatchewan and Ontario.
“As part of this memorandum, we will also begin work on a bilateral framework for (a) direct to consumer alcohol trade system. Saskatchewan and Ontario are leading in efforts to advance a framework for direct-to-consumer alcohol sales for willing jurisdictions across Canada,” he added.
Moe said it’s progress in trade that Canada needs right now, a sentiment also echoed by Ford.
“Our government is on a mission to protect Ontario, and to protect Canada. We’ve moved at lightning speed to introduce legislation designed to open up trade from coast to coast to coast,’ he said.
It’s part of Ford’s plan to counter the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who he says is taking direct aim at the Canadian economy.
“He wants to annihilate our economy, no matter if it’s manufacturing in Ontario, or any other jurisdiction that he can get his hands on,” said Ford.
Ford contended that that expanding domestic trade would raise the standard of living, make life easier for businesses and investors, and would increase free movement of the most in-demand workers, leading to less reliance on the U.S.
While Moe agreed with Ford on removing trade barriers, he didn’t mention Trump by name, or even allude to him — something Ford did not shy away from.
“It’s one person. One person that wakes up every morning and decides what the world is going to do for him. Well, I’m sorry. When you take on the world, it comes back at you, I can assure you that,” Ford added.
Ontario has also signed trade agreements with several other provinces including Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and New Brunswick.
In a statement, Hugh Gordon, provincial NDP highways and infrastructure critic, said signing the MOU between Saskatchewan and Ontario is a step in the right direction.
“But it’s merely a piece of paper. We need to see real, concrete action to improve trade between Saskatchewan and Ontario, Saskatchewan and all provinces for that matter.”
Premiers headed to Saskatoon
Canada’s premiers are heading into to a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney armed with their wish lists for major “nation-building” projects that could buttress the economy in the face of a U.S. trade war.
Carney asked the premiers to each pass on five suggestions for national infrastructure projects, and Monday’s meeting will aim to identify the ones that will make the final cut to be fast tracked using legislation Ottawa may introduce as early as this week.
The conversation is taking place against the backdrop of an ongoing trade war with the United States, renewed debate about separatism and a push to break down interprovincial trade barriers.
That push already had a sense of urgency, following several months of unpredictable tariff moves by President Donald Trump, but got another injection of reality on Friday, as Trump indicated plans to double already damaging tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25 per cent to 50 per cent on June 4.
— with files from Canadian Press
