What Carney’s internal trade pick signals about hope for axing barriers
Prime Minister Mark Carney has selected some familiar names for his cabinet, including veteran Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc, who will be tasked with working to make interprovincial trade easier.
Industry experts speaking to Global News say they are “encouraged” and “optimistic” for Canadian businesses and consumers alike as the trade war continues with the U.S., which will continue to pose serious challenges for the prime minister and his team.
“This serious moment requires serious people,” Matthew Homes at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce says in a statement.
“As Prime Minister Carney’s new team hits the ground running, we expect them to bring all their skills together to achieve a united economic vision that delivers for every region of this country. We are encouraged by Prime Minister Carney’s Cabinet.”
LeBlanc will wear several hats on Parliament Hill, including his title in the previous cabinet as minister of intergovernmental affairs. Leblanc will also serve as the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, as well as the minister of the so-called ‘One Canadian Economy’ initiative.
Carney’s One Canadian Economy initiative was a campaign promise vowing to remove interprovincial trade barriers by July 1 to make it easier to move goods and services between provinces.
By doing so, Canada can rely less on other nations to do business — especially the United States, amid the tariffs and trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“This is a rare opportunity for Canada to try to fix some of these trade barriers within the country that have been pestering us for decades and decades, but we finally have the political momentum, the support of Canadians, the support or provincial premiers to make some real progress,” says Dan Kelly, president and CEO at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
“I’m more optimistic on internal trade than I have been at any point in my 30-year career in public policy, because it does seem like the stars are aligning and an external threat can sometimes sharpen the mind.”
Although the plan may have helped Carney get elected, it won’t be easy to get all provinces to work together — but there is optimism emerging.
“Consumers are sitting on their wallets because they’re worried about their jobs, they’re worrying about the future of the country. The proof is still in the pudding, but I think we can afford to be somewhat optimistic,” Kelly said.
“(LeBlanc) is a veteran minister that has a great deal of experience and that the business community knows and can work with…. He would not be described as someone that is ‘hard to get along with.'”
It may be difficult for LeBlanc to get each individual province to remove some or all of these trade barriers, and he may face the challenge of some provinces being tougher to negotiate with than others.
“The bigger issue is that: if you can set aside politics and every province can recognize that it’s in their best interest to remove those barriers, hey, he (LeBlanc) is great,” says Moshe Lander at Concordia University.
“But does he have that ability, though, to leverage and convince Alberta, Saskatchewan in particular that you need to help out here?
“I don’t know that he’s necessarily going to have the winning formula, but again, is there a front bencher with the experience that represents that area? Unfortunately, no.“
Carney has said he wants the remaining interprovincial trade barriers removed by July 1.
Moshe cautioned that it will still take a while before businesses and consumers notice meaningful changes in their wallets from any new measures.
“Are these the right people? Probably. Will we see the effects right away? Probably not,” he said.
“Even if you remove those interprovincial barriers, it’s not going to be that on July 2, we notice that all of a sudden the Canadian economy takes off and starts growing rapidly. It takes a long time for those things to work their way through the economy.”
All eyes are now on Parliament Hill, as the House of Commons prepares to resume on May 26.
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