New Brunswick premier calls for 'free trade area' within Atlantic region

The premier of New Brunswick is calling on the other three East Coast premiers to join her in making Atlantic Canada a "free trade area" with a single market operating with one set of rules governing trade and labour mobility.

Premier Susan Holt sent a letter on Thursday to Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey.

In it, she said all provinces are working to loosen up regulations and strengthen interprovincial trade, but warns the provinces "must ensure that we don't create a new patchwork of trade rules, especially within Atlantic Canada."

She proposed establishing mutual recognition of regulations that affect the movement of goods, services and people within the region, as well as addressing the remaining barriers and irritants that limit trade within the Atlantic region.

The goal would be to allow businesses, investors and workers to move freely within the four provinces. 

Holt said New Brunswick is ready to co-operate with Nova Scotia's proposal to erase trade barriers, in addition to measures her province has already promised.

New Brunswick has already introduced legislative amendments to allow consumers to buy liquor directly from other provinces and territories — something that's currently not allowed.

The province also signalled that it will allow workers certified in other provinces to work in New Brunswick as soon as they arrive, for 120 days until their certification is recognized. 

Removing long-standing trade barriers between provinces became a priority of the federal and provincial governments soon after U.S. President Donald Trump started threatening to put tariffs on Canadian goods. 

According to a federal estimate, removing all internal trade protections could boost productivity by up to seven per cent and add up to $200 billion to the domestic economy. 

The federal government said it will remove more than half of federal internal trade barriers to make Canada less reliant on the United States.

All provinces and territories have expressed a desire to move quickly.

In her letter, Holt wrote Atlantic provinces have an opportunity to go "at a much faster pace" than the rest of the country. 

All 13 premiers are set to meet with the prime minister on Friday, for the first — and possibly last — first ministers' meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney. Internal trade is on the agenda.