P.E.I. premier Rob Lantz shares plan to ease flow of goods, workers among provinces
Proposed interprovincial trade act based on 'gold standard' in Nova Scotia, says Lantz
The P.E.I. government has introduced its plan to reduce trade barriers with other provinces, spurred by the need to open new markets in the face of ongoing threat of tariffs from the Trump administration in the United States.
Premier Rob Lantz brought the proposed Interprovincial Trade and Mobility Act to the legislature himself on Friday.
The legislation would ease the flow of goods to and from other provinces, and make it easier for workers in some regulated professions to find employment on the Island.
Nova Scotia became the first province to enact this type of legislation back in February, in an effort to boost the economy after U.S. President Donald Trump signalled he wanted to launch a trade war with countries including Canada.
"This Nova Scotia legislation that we're reciprocating has been held up as the gold standard, and the simplest and quickest way for us to reduce interprovincial trade barriers," Lantz said.
"I believe we're the first [province] to reciprocate to Nova Scotia, and I'm really looking forward to moving it through the legislature."
Removing interprovincial trade barriers became a topic of increased focus as a possible strategy to ease losses caused by Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods. The barriers are most often represented as standards, rules or educational qualifications required in different provinces that slow or prevent trade.
P.E.I.'s act would mean the province will accept inspections and standards on goods coming from a reciprocating jurisdiction — so far, that would include only Nova Scotia.
I don't see anybody getting poisoned here, and there's no reason why we can't sell our products across the Confederation Bridge.— P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz
Part of the bill includes moving food and agricultural products, something Lantz said the federal government will have to play a role in, too.
The premier said federal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland is working on curtailing the role of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in restricting those movements.
Lantz said local food producers often have to make large investments in order to conform to the CFIA's standards just to export their products off-Island.
"We inspect food production facilities here in the province, we move food all around the province and sell it to Islanders," the premier said. "I don't see anybody getting poisoned here, and there's no reason why we can't sell our products across the Confederation Bridge."
Exceptions for health-care workers, lawyers
The proposed bill will also speed up the process of granting credentials for most regulated professions like teachers or tradespeople.
"We see it as speeding up the credentialing of tradespeople moving to Prince Edward Island, of other trained professionals that are regulated," Lantz said. "We'll recognize what's been recognized in other provinces that have similar legislation."
There are exceptions in the bill for lawyers and health-care professionals. Lantz said those two professions have unique regulations when it comes to practising in P.E.I.
While he didn't offer many details, he said there is work being done separately on credentialing health-care workers since they're in such high demand.
There is still some time to go before the bill gets to a vote. Lantz hoped to get unanimous consent from the opposition Liberals and Greens on Friday so that it could start to be debated, but that didn't happen.
The premier hopes the act will be ready for July 1 to align with Prime Minister Mark Carney's pledge to have "free trade by Canada Day."
With files from Stacey Janzer