The Ford government has signed another memorandum of understanding to remove interprovincial trade barriers in the face of Canada’s trade and tariff war with the United States.
On Wednesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew sat together in Toronto to sign an agreement between the two provinces to remove regulatory and trade differences.
Provinces across Canada have a variety of different regulations and trade rules that differ from one part of the country to another. Those range from safety and signage standards to a protectionist approach to alcohol sales.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump levied 25 per cent tariffs on vehicles, steel and aluminum, and threatened more on Canada, an internal push has tried to make it easier to trade domestically.
“Working together with provinces and territories across Canada, we are building a stronger, more competitive and more resilient economy that will protect our workers and communities and tie our country together,” Ford, who has pushed the work alongside Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, said in a statement.
“Today’s MOU is just the latest step we are taking to unlock the enormous potential of true free trade within Canada, which will lower costs for families and add up to $200 billion to our national GDP.”
Ontario has already signed similar agreements with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The premier has hinted work is underway on more agreements, potentially including provinces in Western Canada.
Kinew, the latest premier to sign a deal with Ontario, hailed the deal.
“We’re facing a tariff war on two fronts and now is the time to build up this country we love so much,” said Kinew.
“Through this agreement with Ontario, we will unlock more economic opportunities for people in both provinces. As premiers, we are all working toward the common goal of powering our Canadian economy toward the future.”
Two-way trade between Ontario and Manitoba stood at $19.5 billion in 2021.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has set Canada Day as a deadline to try and remove interprovincial trade barriers across the country.
Last month, Ontario tabled interprovincial trade legislation, designed to remove the barriers it puts up against neighbouring provinces.
Ontario’s legislation will implement tweaks and changes to how trade and regulations work between different provinces.
The areas impacted range from labour laws and safety rules to alcohol sales.
As part of the changes, the government is pushing to allow health-care professionals trained in other places to begin working immediately, while they wait for their qualifications to be recognized by provincial colleges.
The same principle would be applied to other industries, like electricians, who could work for up to six months while they complete an application to officially move.
Broader technical standards are also set to be harmonized.
Ontario said it is working to recognize other provinces’ standards for things like high-visibility vests or truck signage so workers don’t need to change when crossing provincial borders.
— with a file from The Canadian Press