Ontario, Manitoba agree to boost interprovincial trade, facing U.S. tariff crunch
CBC
As the threat of U.S. tariffs ratchets up pressure on the Canadian economy, the governments of Ontario and Manitoba have agreed to ease barriers on the flow of goods, services and workers between the two provinces.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at a news conference Wednesday. The Ford government has recently signed similar MOUs with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
In 2021, trade between Ontario and Manitoba was valued at $19.5 billion, the province said in a news release Wednesday.
"We're facing a tariff war on two fronts and now is the time to build up this country we love so much," Kinew said in the release. "Through this agreement with Ontario, we will unlock more economic opportunities for people in both provinces. As premiers, we are all working toward the common goal of powering our Canadian economy toward the future."
"Today's MOU is just the latest step we are taking to unlock the enormous potential of true free trade within Canada, which will lower costs for families and add up to $200 billion to our national GDP," Ford said in the release, adding he looks forward to signing similar agreements with other provinces.
Ontario's top exports to Manitoba include household goods, food and beverages, the province says. Manitoba's top exports to Ontario are canola oil products and conventional crude oil.
Last month, Ontario tabled new legislation that Ford said will make province the first government in Canada to unconditionally remove exceptions to interprovincial free trade.
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