The premier confirmed that the trade agreements reached between other provinces do not have an expiry date.
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt has confirmed that the memorandums of understanding (MOU) currently signed with Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador for free trade and labour don’t have an expiry, nor review dates.
It was announced the province is also working on trade and labour agreements with PEI, Quebec, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
Katie Beers, a spokesperson for the Office of the Premier in New Brunswick, confirmed to The Courier the agreements with the provinces should be “fairly similar.” She said the potential agreements for the provinces mentioned above would include both barrier reductions to trade and labour mobility between provinces.
Although the memorandums are not attached to any specific actions, it is an understanding between the provinces to reduce barriers to trade and labour.
“We’ve traded with the rest of the world for centuries, but we haven’t done a very good job of trading amongst ourselves,” said Constantine Passaris, UNB professor of economics. “We were in a dysfunctional system because of provincial trade barriers so what is happening now is the shock of the Trump tariffs has forced our mindset to capture the economic benefits of trade not only internationally but domestically.”
The economic barriers these agreements are targeting limit the flow of labour and goods between the provinces, which previously restricted the travel of labour and goods. These new agreements seek to break down those barriers.
Before the MOU between Ontario and New Brunswick, regulated workers–like those in the trades and health care–would have had to register with the government before starting to work in another province. These workers can start immediately before having to finish the registration process.
The MOU with Ontario also includes reducing the barriers in the sale of alcohol between the provinces. This agreement and others like it will reduce the barriers to free trade within our national borders with the goal of getting more New Brunswick goods out of the province and across the country.
“We don’t want to sign on to interprovincial trade agreements that will cause harm to our provincial economy in those sectors that we rely upon in terms of employment creation, income creation and generating provincial economic growth,” said Passaris on any potential concerns he had with the agreements.
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador said in a statement to The Courier that the province is committed to reducing barriers to trade and labour that would be beneficial for the province and country. Although they are monitoring some areas of the economy which require more attention to ensure there are no adverse effects on local industries. It said that it is “fully supportive of labour mobility and mutual recognition throughout the country” to support a “Team Canada approach to unlocking new trade opportunities.”
Passaris said the province is making the right decisions by forgoing review dates on the agreements and praised Holt for her leadership on free trade in Canada.
“Let’s not get hung up on review dates and just celebrate the moment of having free trade in Canada,” he said.
The Courier reached out to Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development but it did not respond in time for publication.
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