CFIB calls for bold government action to remove remaining
barriers
TORONTO, July 23,
2024 /CNW/ - Canada's productivity is lagging behind its G7
counterparts, and one in two small businesses say interprovincial
trade barriers are part of the problem, according to the Canadian
Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)'s latest State of
Internal Trade report: Interprovincial Cooperation Report
Card. CFIB is urging all levels of governments to take decisive
action to eliminate internal trade barriers.
"Recent research has found that eliminating internal trade
barriers could add $200 billion
annually to Canada's economy,"
said Keyli Loeppky, Director of
Alberta and Interprovincial
Affairs for CFIB. "Amid soaring business costs, inflationary
pressures, high interest rates, and persistent labour shortages,
the need to remove barriers is more urgent than ever. Doing so will
expand choices for goods and services, secure supply chains, and
make life more affordable for all Canadians."
This year's report card evaluates governments on their progress
in three key areas: exceptions to the Canadian Free Trade
Agreement (CFTA), select barriers to internal trade, and the
implementation status of reconciliation agreements. Additionally, a
new bonus indicator has also been added this year to measure
government leadership in the past year in areas beyond these
categories. Overall grades range from disappointing Ds to
commendable Bs and just one A-, with some individual area grades
being higher.
The 2024 report card grades are:
Jurisdiction
|
Exceptions to the
CFTA
|
Interjurisdictional
Barriers
to Internal Trade
|
Status of Items from
Reconciliation
Agreements
|
Bonus
Indicator:
Internal Trade
Leadership
|
Overall
Score and Grade
|
MB
|
9.4
|
A
|
5.4
|
D
|
9.6
|
A
|
0
|
8.7
|
A-
|
AB
|
10.0
|
A
|
4.0
|
D
|
9.5
|
A
|
0
|
8.6
|
B+
|
FED
|
7.1
|
C+
|
|
|
8.7
|
A-
|
10
|
8.1
|
B
|
SK
|
7.8
|
B
|
5.3
|
D
|
9.2
|
A
|
10
|
8.0
|
B
|
BC
|
8.1
|
B
|
4.1
|
D
|
9.2
|
A
|
10
|
7.9
|
B
|
ON
|
6.5
|
C-
|
5.6
|
D
|
8.2
|
B
|
10
|
7.2
|
C+
|
NU
|
6.8
|
C
|
2.0
|
F
|
8.6
|
B+
|
10
|
6.8
|
C
|
NT
|
7.1
|
C+
|
2.0
|
F
|
8.3
|
B
|
10
|
6.8
|
C
|
NS
|
4.7
|
D
|
5.1
|
D
|
8.6
|
B+
|
10
|
6.6
|
C
|
NL
|
6.4
|
C-
|
2.0
|
F
|
7.7
|
B-
|
10
|
6.2
|
C-
|
PEI
|
5.4
|
D
|
2.9
|
F
|
7.9
|
B
|
5
|
6.0
|
C-
|
YT
|
4.1
|
D
|
3.0
|
F
|
8.8
|
A-
|
10
|
5.9
|
D
|
NB
|
3.8
|
F
|
2.9
|
F
|
8.1
|
B
|
5
|
5.4
|
D
|
QC
|
0.0
|
F
|
3.6
|
F
|
8.9
|
A-
|
0
|
4.3
|
D
|
"Despite some positive steps, including the federal government's
recent efforts to reduce trade barriers and enhance data
availability, the launch of the RCT's online portal for Canadians
to identify regulatory barriers, and the Atlantic provinces' new
Technical Safety Agreement, overall progress has been minimal,"
noted Jairo Yunis, Director for BC
and Western Economic Policy for CFIB.
CFIB strongly recommends governments across Canada move quickly to adopt mutual
recognition. This means, for example, that if a business meets
health and safety standards in their home province, those standards
should be recognized by any other province or territory.
"Why is it easier and cheaper to export food to neighbouring
countries than to neighbouring provinces or territories? We need to
put ourselves out there and compete with the rest of the world
instead of competing amongst ourselves," concluded Loeppky.
"Governments owe it to Canadians, who are currently undergoing an
affordability crisis, to aim higher than mediocrity. To do this,
governments must remove barriers and move forward with mutual
recognition."
For more information, 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 97,000 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 cfib.ca.
SOURCE Canadian Federation of Independent Business