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Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba sets example on trade: CFIB
Manitoba is maintaining its position as a national leader on internal trade, a new report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business finds. The keystone province received an 'A-' from the CFIB in its State of Internal Trade report, released Monday. Only Nova Scotia and Ontario scored higher, with each province earning an 'A.' (Manitoba had topped last year's list with an 'A-.') Ryan Mallough, CFIB vice-president of legislative affairs and communications, said, generally speaking, the organization has seen positive action across the country in the last year. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Chuck Davidson, president and CEO of Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, believes Manitoba is heading in the right direction with regards to internal trade. More progress has been made on removing trade barriers within Canada in the past six months than in eight years since the Canadian Free Trade Agreement was signed. 'This year's blown other years out of the water, in terms of progress,' Mallough said, noting the contentious trade relationship between Canada and the U.S. in recent months has given political urgency to internal trade. According to the CFIB, Manitoba sets a strong example by permitting direct-to-consumer alcohol shipments and through Bill 47, its new Fair Trade in Canada Act, which simplifies recognition of goods and services from other provinces. Manitoba has also signed agreements with Ontario and British Columbia to accelerate recognition of goods, services and professional credentials. Despite Manitoba's improvements, challenges remain, per a CFIB news release. Issues such as duplicate regulations, slow approval timelines and a lack of trade-enabling infrastructure continue to hamper the movement of goods, services and labour. The CFIB critiqued the Fair Trade in Canada Act for excluding labour mobility — a point echoed by Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. The more provinces and territories do to make the rules that regulate workers consistent, the better, he said. Manitoba's position as an internal trade leader is 'a good sign,' Davidson said in response to the CFIB report. 'We're heading in the right direction.' Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation Minister Jamie Moses said the province already has a labour mobility act, and addressing labour mobility in Bill 47 would have created red tape. 'Our bill is very much in line with breaking down barriers for Manitoba businesses to reach markets right across the country,' Moses said. Manitoba Progressive Conservative finance critic Lauren Stone was not available for comment Monday. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Looking ahead, Mallough said Manitoba can improve by implementing its mutual recognition legislation. Seven different jurisdictions in Canada are taking seven different approaches to mutual recognition, he added, so the CFIB is cautious in its optimism. The premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney have instructed the Committee on Internal Trade to reach a pan-Canadian mutual recognition agreement for December — and the CFIB will be watching those conversations closely. 'Everybody seems to want to get this done and that's what has been the most encouraging over these last six months,' Mallough said. 'At the same time … we want to make sure we don't lose that political momentum. We have not crossed the goal line yet.' Aaron EppReporter Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. makes gains on breaking down interprovincial trade barriers: CFIB
B.C. improved its ranking to a B+ grade on the Canadian Federation of Independent Business' 2025 State of Internal Trade report, up from a B in 2024, but it still has 'a lot more work to do,' according to Ryan Mitton, CFIB's director of legislative affairs for B.C. The federation released its latest report card on interprovincial trade on Monday and credited B.C.'s gain on legislation that dropped most of its barriers to trade with other provinces as one measure to protect the province from external threats. Mitton said eliminating trade barriers between provinces 'couldn't be more critical' at a time when threatened U.S. tariffs are starting to do real damage to the Canadian economy. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Really, the big thing is, we've seen so much momentum just in the last six months, more even than in the six years since the 2017 Canada Free Trade Agreement,' Mitton added. In B.C., this included a section in the province's economic stabilization act that calls for the unilateral recognition in this province of most goods and services produced in other provinces, Mitton said. However, while B.C. has lifted its restrictions on direct-to-consumer shipments of wine, Mitton said it has left similar restrictions on direct shipments of craft beer and spirits. And although B.C. has improved on its recognition of professional and trades certifications from other provinces, Mitton added that B.C. still hasn't set a schedule for the approval of workers certified in other provinces. 'The danger at this point is that we lose sight of that (progress). We need to keep the movement going.' Nova Scotia earned top marks on the Canadian Federation of Independent Business report card with an A grade because it was the first province to implement mutual recognition legislation, followed closely by Ontario, which earned a slightly lower A grade by unilaterally eliminating all of the exemptions to the Canada Free Trade Agreement that it maintained. Manitoba was the next closest with an A-, and B.C., with its B+ rounded out the top four provinces. The federal government, which included the elimination of its exemptions to the CFTA in legislation, dubbed the One Canadian Economy bill by Prime Minister Mark Carney, earned a B. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business argues that the stakes in smoothing over interprovincial trade are high with one 2019 International Monetary Fund estimate determining eliminating barriers would be up to a seven per cent boost to Canadian GDP. Mitton said that could be as much as a $200 billion boost to Canada's economy, $50 billion to B.C. 'We know competition is good for business and it allows them opportunities to expand their markets, hire more people, and invest in their businesses,' Mitton added. Other economists, however, question the size of those estimated gains on the premise that the vast majority of goods and services that move across provincial borders do so without any barriers. 'When we look at what actual trade barriers exist, the list is very small — alcohol sales, some minor trucking regulations, and government procurement policies,' wrote Marc Lee, a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives wrote in a February commentary on interprovincial trade. Lee said there is work to do in some areas, such as credential recognition of skilled workers moving from province to province. And there are also risks in the mutual recognition of regulations on industries from province to province. For example, Lee said trucking regulations in geographically flat Saskatchewan might not be appropriate for more mountainous B.C. He argued 'mutual recognition' could result in provinces being forced to accept the least stringent rules for safety, environmental and consumer protection. Read the 2025 State of Internal Trade report . depenner@
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
CFIB says internal trade barriers coming down, but patchwork could create challenges
TORONTO - A new report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says progress has been made on removing trade barriers within Canada, but it adds that the patchwork of approaches could create new issues. 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
CFIB says internal trade barriers coming down, but patchwork could create challenges
TORONTO – A new report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says progress has been made on removing trade barriers within Canada, but it adds that the patchwork of approaches could create new issues. 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. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 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.
Cision Canada
3 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Canada's internal trade barriers are finally coming down, but patchwork of government approaches could create new challenges Français
CFIB's 2025 internal trade report card sees major improvements from provinces introducing mutual recognition legislation TORONTO, June 30, 2025 /CNW/ - More progress has been made on removing trade barriers within Canada in the past six months than in eight years since the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) was signed, finds the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)'s latest State of Internal Trade report: Interprovincial Cooperation Report Card. "While progress to date has been encouraging, we also have seven different jurisdictions taking seven different approaches to mutual recognition. That kind of patchwork can wind up recreating the barriers it was meant to knock down," said Ryan Mallough, CFIB's vice-president of legislative affairs. "We're marching the ball down field, but we haven't reached the end zone just yet. The premiers and the prime minister have instructed the Committee on Internal Trade to reach a pan-Canadian mutual recognition agreement for December. We'll be watching those conversations closely to ensure we cross the goal line and finally eliminate Canada's internal trade barriers once and for all." Nova Scotia, the first province to introduce and implement mutual recognition legislation, achieved the highest grade in CFIB's 2025 Internal trade report card with a score of 9.4 (A grade). Ontario is a close second after eliminating all of its CFTA exemptions, scoring a 9.2 (A grade). The 2025 report card grades are: The federal government is scored on two areas: the economic impact score based on the procurement exceptions they maintain from the CFTA in 2025, and the implementation status of reconciliation agreements. Both areas are weighted equally (50% each) as the select barriers area was not available for this analysis. The report grades three major areas of interprovincial/territorial cooperation: CFTA exceptions, select barriers to trade, and the status of items from reconciliation agreements. There's an updated bonus indicator that rewards jurisdictions that accept other regions' regulations and standards as sufficient within their own jurisdiction. "Three years ago, we challenged governments to blow a hole through Canada's internal trade barriers by adopting mutual recognition policies to get the flow of goods, services and people moving across the country. At the time, we heard all the reasons why it couldn't be done. But just in the past six months we've seen seven jurisdictions with mutual recognition legislation on the books," said SeoRhin Yoo, CFIB's senior policy analyst for interprovincial affairs. "The internal trade file is finally getting the attention is has desperately needed since the CFTA was signed in 2017. While there's lots of reason for optimism, we'll be closely watching governments' next steps, including the crucial regulations that will follow legislation, to ensure the rules match the rhetoric and small businesses feel actual progress on the ground." Read CFIB's full Canada's Interprovincial Cooperation Report Card. About CFIB The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada's largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners' chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at
