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Doug Ford: Making Canada open for business means removing internal trade barriers

Why are we ignoring the huge potential for economic growth that exists in our own backyard?

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Next Tuesday, I’ll be joining premiers from Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories in Saskatoon for a three-day conference on how we can strengthen economic partnerships and advocate for shared priorities ahead of this year’s federal election.

While Canada-U.S. trade and international trade tensions are still top of mind, my colleagues and I are also focused on eliminating trade barriers much closer to home.

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For example, if you want to build a new power plant in Quebec, you can’t hire a company from Ontario to help.

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Outdated interprovincial trade rules clip the wings of Canadian businesses

If you’re an Ontario trucking company, you need to cover the cost of making different sets of tires to meet the different weight requirements in each province, even if the changes are slight.

Until recently, if you wanted to buy alcohol from other Canadian provinces or territories, you were out of luck.

These are of just some of the restrictive and outdated interprovincial trade rules that clip the wings of good Canadian businesses that want to get their products to market within the borders of our own country.

These unnecessary rules cost businesses time and money and stand in the way of opportunities to grow and hire more people. Some studies show that internal trade barriers cost the Canadian economy anywhere from a whopping $50 billion to $130 billion annually.

A CN freight train passes through Ontario’s Lambton County in an undated file photo.
A CN freight train passes through Ontario’s Lambton County in an undated file photo. Photo by Paul Morden/Postmedia News

Why are we ignoring the huge potential for economic growth that exists in our own backyard?

A recent report by the International Monetary Fund shows that the complete removal of unnecessary internal trade barriers in Canada could bump our gross domestic product (GDP) by as much as four per cent — more than any international trade agreement signed to date.

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It’s why our government is making it a priority to get rid of these outdated rules. It’s an important part of our plan to make Ontario open for business and open for jobs.

We are cutting the reams of red tape and encouraging the free movement of goods and services between provinces. We want to ensure Ontario businesses can sell their goods and services in more Canadian markets, while allowing Canadian businesses from other parts of the country to invest and expand here in our province as well.

The removal of unnecessary internal trade barriers could bump our GDP by as much as four per cent

The time has come for change. It’s time to focus on growing internal trade relationships and open up more business opportunities to rally the greatest economic boost our country has ever seen.

Ontario is already leading the way.

Our government signed a free trade Memorandum of Understanding with Saskatchewan last October to improve trade between our two provinces.

Since then, our provinces have created a Joint Red-Tape Reduction Working Group and we’re working to remove trade barriers in transportation and agriculture.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Todd Smith, Minister of Economic Development, speak at a Toronto-area factory on Feb. 14, 2019.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Todd Smith, Minister of Economic Development, speak at a Toronto-area factory on Feb. 14, 2019. Photo by Jack Boland/Postmedia News

When it comes to the development of our natural resources and nation-building projects like pipelines, Ontario will always support market access. We want Ontario and the rest of Canada to buy our oil from Alberta, rather than relying on imports from other countries with questionable environmental regulations.

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More importantly, Ontario stands to benefit from projects like these because they would create thousands of jobs, benefit countless local communities, and add tax dollars to public coffers to help fund critical programs, keep our taxes low, and reduce our debt.

It’s time to focus on growing internal trade relationships

We know we can’t rely on the federal government to build our national economy when its focus is imposing a job-killing carbon tax and picking winners and losers when it comes to national pipeline projects — so we as a province need to step up.

In Saskatoon next week, Ontario will continue to take a leading role in knocking down trade barriers and unnecessary regulatory burdens for Canadian businesses.

We will work with other provinces and territories to remove barriers and promote job creation and economic growth.

Together, we can create growth and prosperity here in Ontario and across Canada.

Doug Ford is the premier of Ontario.

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