INTERPROVINCIAL TRADE
For example, Manitoba is positioned to capitalize on its robust alcohol distilleries — a product of agricultural industries — after it recently signed on to a major agreement between most provinces to allow beer and spirits to flow freely around the country. The province is also part of the New West Partnership Trade Agreement — an internal free trade deal between the four Western provinces — and it joined the federal government’s Trucking Pilot Project in September 2024, with the goal of strengthening the links of Canada’s supply chain. Lumber and other forest products should also be looked at as highly valuable resources in Manitoba, Griffiths says, and their movement interprovincially would especially be of value to northern Manitoba’s economy. “There’s a pretty vibrant manufacturing base in Manitoba,” he says. Internal trade barriers don’t solely apply to physical goods; skilled workers in areas such as farming, manufacturing, trucking and even insurance can be halted at provincial borders if they don’t meet licensing requirements. “The Insurance Bureau of Canada has pointed out that the complexity of these requirements makes it harder for (insurance) adjusters to move between provinces,” Zalazar says. “Since Manitoba is home to several major insurance companies, there’s a clear opportunity to make progress here.”
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“It shouldn’t be easier to trade with other countries than within our own provinces — but for many businesses, that’s the reality.” — Randall Zalazar, director of government relations for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Internal trade barriers don’t solely apply to physical goods; skilled workers in areas such as farming, manufacturing, trucking and even insurance can be halted at provincial borders if they don’t meet licensing requirements.
11 SUMMER 2025
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