Right now, there are thousands of different policies that make it hard to trade from one province to another. You’ve probably heard of a few — like that most wineries and breweries can’t sell or ship directly to customers in other parts of the country.
This is because each of the 13 provinces and territories are like their own little country with their own laws, regulations, standards and more. British Columbian breweries, for example, would have to change the way they sell, store and label their beer to meet the requirements to ship to Alberta.
Many people say something should be done about such interprovincial trade barriers. Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand told CBC News that ditching those rules could lower prices by up to 15 per cent and add up to $200 billion to the domestic economy.
But even if everyone agrees that it’s a good idea, it’s not easy to do. Politicians have been trying for decades.
Part of the issue is that there’re hundreds, if not thousands, of players across the country who have to be on board if rules are going to be changed — from corporations and companies to trade regulators and health officials. Those players have boards, stakeholders, budgets to consider… and on and on.
Still, the threat of tariffs has created some momentum. In February, Anand suggested interprovincial barriers could crumble within a month.
