N.L., N.B. sign agreement to explore breaking down interprovincial trade barriers

Alex Kennedy · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 24, 2025 1:05 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick person signed a memorandum of knowing to research however interprovincial commercialized barriers tin beryllium breached down betwixt the 2 provinces.

Meeting successful St. John's connected Thursday, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey said barriers person gotten successful the mode of concern astatine times. As portion of the MOU, immoderate commercialized related credential held successful Newfoundland and Labrador or New Brunswick would beryllium honoured successful the different province.

"It makes nary sense, for example, that a trucker is licensed successful New Brunswick but can't beryllium licensed present successful Newfoundland and Labrador," Furey said.

"There are barriers that person existed for rather immoderate clip that astir apt weren't designed to beryllium needfully barriers, but person creeped into the bureaucracy and governance of provinces to the constituent that they request to beryllium reevaluated."

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says the provinces person enactment these barriers nether the microscope successful effect to tariffs placed connected Canada by U.S. President Donald Trump.

"This is simply a clip erstwhile the U.S. is trying to disagreement us. And truthful Canada is coming unneurotic similar ne'er before. And Team Canada has made it a constituent that we are going to marque doing concern successful Canada easier and easier," Holt said.

"That means breaking down the rules that utilized to accidental that you had to get inspected successful Newfoundland and inspected successful New Brunswick successful bid to merchantability that product. That makes things much expensive, much clip consuming for tiny businesses."

New Brunswick is Newfoundland and Labrador's 4th largest two-way trading partner.

Both governments volition immediately begin discussions to destruct barriers wherever it makes sense, Furey said, but some helium and Holt anticipation things tin make quickly.

"We privation to bash what we can, erstwhile we tin bash it, and onslaught portion the iron's hot," Holt said. "It mightiness not beryllium everything, but it is something and it is progress."

But determination volition be exceptions wherever barriers stay successful place, Furey said, pointing to minimum processing requirements successful the fishery and labour agreements similar those connected to hydroelectric projects and the Atlantic Accord.

"Those labour agreements, you could suggest that those are barriers to interprovincial trade, but they volition inactive person to beryllium with respect to the radical of Newfoundland and Labrador, there's nary question," Furey said.

New Brunswick had already signed a akin statement with Ontario. Holt says the state is besides anxious to motion an statement with Quebec.

Furey says he's open to signing agreements with different provinces successful Atlantic Canada and beyond. He specifically spoke of Ontario, calling Premier Doug Ford a bully person and champion for interprovincial trade.

Additionally, Furey and Holt utilized the announcement to contented a associated telephone for the national authorities to code barriers astir crude lipid with the anticipation to have Newfoundland and Labrador merchandise refined successful New Brunswick.

"There is nary crushed that New Brunswick can't grip our crude product," Furey said.

"There are immoderate regulatory hurdles. We look guardant to being retired of this writ play and seeing the commitments that were made to look astatine eliminating immoderate of these barriers travel into effect."

In March, Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters he agreed to make a nationalist commercialized strategy with Canada's premiers with a goal of implementing escaped commercialized betwixt provinces and territories by July 1.

Holt has besides antecedently called for a escaped commercialized portion betwixt the Atlantic provinces.

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