Keeping it Real…

At first glance, removing all inter-provincial trade/services barriers seems such a good idea.

After all, why should anyone in BC be prevented (or severely discouraged through rules/restrictions) from buying wine or cheese or beef or fruits/vegetables or any goods made in any other province of Canada?

Or vice versa?

Surely, producers/suppliers/manufacturers should be able to compete with those from other provinces, who must absorb extra transportation charges in addition to production costs!

And it just seems bizarre (maybe even stupid) that Canadians can easily find foods or products from many other countries on their shelves, while foods or products from other provinces are kept out.

“If British Columbia were to adopt a similar bill to those of Nova Scotia, Ontario and Prince Edward Island, or sign mutual recognition agreements with all Canadian provinces, the country’s economy could grow by an estimated $50.2 billion,” the Montreal Economic Institute calculated in a report last week. (Their full study is here: https://www.iedm.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/economic-note-052025.pdf.)

” Interprovincial trade barriers are potentially as costly as a 7% tariff on goods crossing provincial lines, inflating consumer prices by an estimated 7.8% to 14.5%,” a study by Queen’s University estimated.

“This artificial inflation stifles competition, hampers innovation, and curtails economic growth. The authors estimate that dismantling these barriers could boost Canada’s GDP by up to $161 Billion annually, or an additional $2,300 to $4,000 per Canadian per year. Yet, despite these potential gains, such barriers persist,” their report concluded. (You can read full details here: https://economicsandpolicy.ca/2025/03/31/interprovincial-trade-barriers-what-are-they-how-costly-are-they-for-canada-and-how-can-we-address-them/#:~:text=The%20paper%20underscores%20a%20startling,potential%20gains%2C%20such%20barriers%20persist..)

Protectionist trade barriers between provinces should have come down years ago … now especially important as our country faces sustained, aggressive economic attacks from the Mad Hatter in the United States.

“Buy Canadian” is not only a better idea: it’s now a key weapon in our struggle for economic survival!

So, assuming the produce and products meet national food safety standards, taking down those barriers should happen … NOW.

However, there’s another barrier that has also separated/divided the provinces: the provision of “services”.

Labour and services shortages in one province could also seemingly be easily solved by allowing workers from other parts of the country to migrate and set up shop where they’re needed.

But that deserves a lot more scrutiny.

What passes for satisfactory electrical work in Quebec may not meet BC requirements; construction specifications in Ontario may differ from those in Nova Scotia; and truck driving licencing controls in PEI may not meet restrictions in effect in Alberta.

What about professional services … especially in the health care field?

Licensing standards differ province to province; as do treatment protocols; and, even language proficiency requirements can be quite different.

And then there are the risks of allowing supposedly “skilled” construction, roofing, plumbing and electrical contractors from other provinces to show up after a major crisis (fires, floods, tornadoes), doing sub-standard work or, worse, taking deposits and then outrageously delaying or totally failing to perform.

That’s exactly what used to happen in Florida years ago, when contractors from other states (Alabama, Mississippi etc.) would show up after hurricanes that caused massive building/roofing/window glass damages .. and far too often, did substandard work or failed to perform at all after taking substantial deposits.

So Florida now forbids out-of-state contractors from operating there … unless locally licenced and qualified. (Yes, that means long delays for small projects to get done after major storms, but the risks of out-of-state “contractors” taking the money and disappearing has been all but eliminated … although there are still many complaints of rip-offs by Florida contractors! )

Canadian provinces should be cautious.

Provincial licencing and even examinations may make it more difficult to quickly drop existing “services” barriers … but without them, customers dealing with “from away” contractors could end up paying a much higher price than they ever imagined.

The inter-provincial barriers against produce and products should come down; but those involving provision of services … not so fast!

Harv Oberfeld

(Follow @harveyoberfeld on “X” for FREE First Alerts to new postings on the blog. No spam … just free alerts to new topics up for discussion.)

Canada’s federal calendar this week will be full of new beginnings.

A new Parliament, a new government, a new Prime Minister, a new Cabinet, 112 new MPs, five new Commons seats, a new Speaker, and a new King to read a new Speech from the Throne.

A time of change … hopefully!

Canadians re-elected the Liberals to power, but made their dissatisfaction with the past government, the past policies, the past record very clear.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has acknowledged the need for change, the need for the Liberals to better address Canadians; concerns about high income taxes, the hated carbon tax, rampant crime, revolving door Courts, jobs and the economy.

The Conservatives, believing Carney/Liberals borrowed heavily from their pre-election promises and the Conservative election platform, have vowed to fight to make those changes a reality.

After a caucus meeting Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the Official Opposition “will be pushing measures to make Canada more affordable, safe, self-reliant and united”, the CBC reported.

“We’ve expanded our coalition to include union workers, young people, newcomers and others who had never voted before. They voted for hope, for a change” Poilievre said.

Union workers? Young people? Others who have never voted before?

Didn’t they used to be overwhelmingly NDPers?

Well, the April 28 election results showed not any more … or, at least, not this time.

The NDP, winning only seven Commons seats, was not only pushed out of third place by the Bloc Quebecois, which captured 22 seats; its leader, Jagmeet Singh, resigned after losing his own seat and the NDP even lost party status in Parliament.

Party status, which requires at least 12 seats in the Commons, brings with it several perks, including public funding for the leader’s office to operate, a research budget, participation on Commons committees and the right to ask at least one question each day during Question Period.

Reports declared this was the worst ever election result in 64 years for the NDP, which held 24 seats at dissolution.

And making it worse, the NDP’s share of the popular vote fell to 6.3% this election, from 17.8% in 2021.

I believe that’s not only bad for the NDP, it’s bad for Canada too.

With the Liberals holding 169 seats in the Commons and the Conservatives 144, the results reward the Bloc Quebecois, with 22 seats, a position of greater influence … and even power … when it comes to influencing legislation and even impacting government policies/approvals.

No doubt Quebec will benefit even more than they do already (as if they need it!) from this third place party position!

As for the NDP, right now, they’re still bickering internally over the process that was used to select their interim leader Don Davies (Vancouver-Kingsway). (Read about that fight here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-ndp-caucus-members-letter-interim-leader-don-davies/.)

Geez!!

The federal NDP has to get its act together!

They didn’t pay attention to the warnings I (and others) voiced on this blog in the months before the federal election about how the party was losing touch with middle class voters’ struggles and concerns.

“Perhaps it’s not just the Liberals who should be looking for a new leader and a new approach … as their only hope of resuscitating popular appeal? Strange, the federal implications of the BC provincial election are not getting the attention they should,” I wrote last November. (http://wp311593.wpdns.ca/bc-provincial-losses-signal-trouble-ahead-for-federal-ndp/)

The federal NDP must rebuild.

First, they need to choose an electable leader.

It may excite armchair socialists to break a glass ceiling or two in choosing a replacement for Jagmeet Singh, but what’s the point if they know deep down that leader doesn’t have a hope of ever winning the hearts and minds … and votes … in Quebec, which holds 78 seats and other parts of Canada as well.

Second, the federal NDP should hearken to the messages I delivered so often to their BC counterparts: far too many voters believe the NDP has abandoned the working and middle classes, their struggles to find jobs, pay rent, buy groceries, manage ever-increasing taxes, get adequate health care for themselves and their families … and just stay safe from the criminals and crazies running amok everywhere, day and night.

It may be admirable, even laudable, to champion Canada as a leader in environmental change (and oppose mining, refineries, pipelines) or provide a home for hundreds of thousands Third World immigrants, almost unlimited numbers of refugees, prioritise spending on homelessness, services (and supplies) for hard drug users, and advocate on behalf of trans-gender issues or pontificate on world conflicts … but right now, Canadian taxpayers/voters have other priorities.

And the election results show beyond any doubt the vast majority of working and middle class voters don’t see the current NDP as the party the would make their lives better … or safer.

Time for the NDP to start focusing on the needs of the majority of Canadians, not the minorities … unless it wants to remain a fourth place election finisher … without even party status.

Harv Oberfeld

(Follow @harveyoberfeld on “X” for FREE First Alerts to new posting on this blog.)