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ST. JOHN\u2019S \u2014 New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador are the latest provinces to pledge to work together and knock down trade barriers as Canada faces economic threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s two Liberal premiers signed a commitment in St. John\u2019s, N.L., \u00a0on April 24 \u00a0saying their goal is to find ways to allow workers and goods certified in one province to be given the same clearance in the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a time when the U.S. is trying to divide us, and so Canada is coming together like never before,\u201d New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt told reporters. \u201cIf it\u2019s good enough for Newfoundland, it\u2019s good enough for New Brunswick, and you\u2019re not going to have to get re-inspected or re-labeled or repackaged in order for goods to move between our provinces.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s global trade war and calls to annex Canada have provinces scrambling to reroute exports away from the United States and build local markets instead.<\/p>\n
The president slapped Canada with economywide tariffs last month after declaring a \u201cnational emergency\u201d under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act linked to the flow of people and fentanyl across the United States\u2019 northern border. He partially paused the levies a few days later for imports compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, called CUSMA.<\/p>\n
As a way to compensate for restricted access to the U.S. market, several jurisdictions, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Ontario, have entered into agreements to encourage more interprovincial flow of goods and workers.<\/p>\n
Andrew Furey, Newfoundland and Labrador\u2019s premier, said the agreement will allow officials in both provinces to start discussing changes \u201cwhere they make sense.\u201d Rules requiring Newfoundland and Labrador seafood processing plants to buy certain amounts of locally caught fish, for example, are not up for discussion, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are \u2018no-fly zones\u2019 on both sides,\u201d he told reporters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Furey said he was willing to discuss similar agreements with other provinces. Holt, for her part, said she was particularly eager to strike an interprovincial trade deal with Quebec Premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault.<\/p>\n
When asked if the agreement would have come together without Trump\u2019s threats, Furey said the provinces were already working together. The agreement builds on a previous alliance that allows doctors to work anywhere in Atlantic Canada without needing licences for each province, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hesitate to show any gratitude to President Trump for anything,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n
Newfoundland and Labrador is home to about 540,000 people; New Brunswick\u2019s population stands at roughly 775,000 people.<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n