Minister LeBlanc’s statement regarding the Committee on Internal Trade Ministers’ meeting

Montreal, Quebec (November 23, 2018) – Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, issued the following statement:

“It is disappointing that I was unable to attend today’s meeting of the Committee on Internal Trade in Montreal due to a number of urgent votes in the House of Commons on legislation to resume postal service. Several senior officials from the Government of Canada attended the meeting, and reiterated our commitment to collaborative efforts to reduce barriers to trade across provinces and territories. However, I was pleased to have had a very positive discussion with the Chair of the Committee, the Honourable Pierre Fitzgibbon, this morning.

The Fall Economic Statement presented this week is the next step in our government’s plan to continue to grow the economy and support the middle class—and it identified priority areas such as transportation, food inspection, construction and alcoholic beverages. We can improve economic competitiveness by removing unnecessary regulation and barriers to trade between provinces and territories.

Actions announced in the Fall Economic Statement included standardizing building codes across the country and making them free of charge. Having one set of rules means that a sector that employs nearly 1.4 million Canadians can be more competitive and can focus on growth and creating more jobs. 

In the coming months we will work on measures to increase the free flow of goods between provinces and territories in the transportation sector. As well, we will examine how we can facilitate greater trade in alcohol between provinces and territories, including exploring the potential for direct-to-consumer sales.

I look forward to continuing work on enhancing trade between provinces and territories at the upcoming First Ministers’ meeting in December. Now, more than ever, it is essential for our governments to work together to boost our competitiveness, open our domestic markets, and reduce red tape faced by Canadian businesses.” 

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