CFIB says internal trade barriers coming down, but patchwork could create challenges
Ryan Mallough, CFIB's vice-president of legislative affairs, says the progress has been encouraging, but there are also seven different jurisdictions taking seven different approaches to mutual recognition.
He says the patchwork could wind up recreating the barriers it was meant to knock down.
One study estimates that existing internal trade hurdles cost the economy some $200 billion a year.
The federal and provincial governments have been working to remove internal trade barriers in the face of U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
Bill C-5, the omnibus bill that reduces federal restrictions on interprovincial trade and also speeds up permitting for large infrastructure projects, became law on June 26.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2025.
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CNN
33 minutes ago
- CNN
A Gaza ceasefire is the closest it has been in months. Here's what we know
US President Donald Trump says he's 'optimistic' a ceasefire deal in Gaza could be agreed next week after Hamas announced that it had 'submitted a positive response' to a proposal for a 60-day truce with Israel. 'We have to get it over with,' Trump said Friday. 'We have to do something about Gaza.' Israel and Hamas have long had conflicting demands that negotiators have been unable to bridge, but with both now agreeing the revised proposal, for the first time in months an agreement seems within reach. The renewed efforts gathered steam following a truce between Iran and Israel but also reflect US pressure and a shift in Israel's war goals. Here's what to know. Since the Israel-Iran ceasefire on June 24, mediators Qatar and Egypt – as well as the United States – have redoubled their calls for a new Gaza truce. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesman told CNN the Israel-Iran agreement had created 'momentum' for the latest talks between Israel and Hamas. CNN speaks to families devastated by the Israeli strike on a waterfront cafe in Gaza City Netanyahu's government has faced mounting international criticism for the suffering its war is inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza. Israel imposed a total blockade on humanitarian deliveries to the enclave in March. It somewhat eased the blockade in May, after a chorus of global experts warned that hundreds of thousands of people could soon starve. Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli strikes in recent days. And aid distribution has been marred by violence, with hundreds killed on their way to try to obtain food from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the controversial US-backed aid initiative that began operating at the end of May. Pressure is also growing on Netanyahu from within Israel. 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In response to the earlier Trump administration-backed ceasefire proposal in May, Hamas requested US assurances that permanent ceasefire negotiations will continue and that fighting will not resume after the 60-day pause. Whether the ceasefire will be temporary or a pathway to a permanent truce is the biggest sticking point between the warring parties. While Israel wants to eradicate Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks, the group has shown little willingness to relinquish its political and military power in Gaza. Officials in the group have given contradictory statements as to Hamas' role in a post-war Gaza. The group's spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, has said that the group is not 'clinging to power' and does not have to be part of arrangements 'in the next phase.' While the fine detail of the proposal is yet to be released it is clear that the revised plan is an attempt to bridge some of the differences between Israel and Hamas. 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Yahoo
35 minutes ago
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10 Electronics To Buy Now Before Tariffs Put Them Out of Reach for the Middle Class
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2026 expected to be yearlong celebration as America turns 250 years old
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