SASKATOON, REGINA - Premier Scott Moe has extended an invitation to all Canadian provinces to join the New West Partnership Trade Agreement.
Moe made the announcement at Crestline in Saskatoon. The offer from Moe is a move towards removing trade barriers within Canada, which has become a focus of governments across the country in the wake of the Donald Trump tariffs.
"I would say that the quickest, the simplest and the most straightforward way to achieve free and fair trade across the nation of Canada is quite simply to expand the New West Partnership to all provinces and territories across every nation,” said Moe.
The New West Partnership Trade Agreement has been in effect since 2010, where signatories committed to barrier-free trade and labour mobility across provinces.
It was initially signed between Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, with Manitoba joining in 2017.
Now Moe is offering other provinces to also join the partnership. A letter was sent out Wednesday to all other provinces inviting them to join, coming on the heels of an earlier invitation extended to the three Territories. Moe touted the benefits already seen by the agreement.
“It allows for open procurement for all businesses, medium and small size businesses across Western Canada. Companies can freely bid and do commerce in other provinces. They can grow their business within province or even in a neighbouring province. They can hire new people and move them inter-provincially in a much more straightforward fashion. It has very low procurement thresholds, lower than the CFTA or the Canada Free Trade Agreement. There is mutual recognition of worker certification that allows for that labour mobility between partnered provinces. And it reduces red tape by harmonizing standards and regulations and that is an ongoing process across New West partners and it will continue hopefully across Canada subsequent to our meetings later or early next week.”
Premier Moe is expecting other Premiers will be looking seriously at joining.
“You know, I expect actually a positive response or at least those provinces are going to have a good look at that agreement,” Moe said.
“We had discussed this quite openly at our Western Premier's Conference in Yellowknife where we had offered it to the territorial premiers at that point."
Moe also anticipates .the name could be changed to something more national. He also sees it opening up opportunities for many companies.
“It would open up, I think, equally as importantly, opportunities for families that may be looking to move across Canada in the way of labour mobility, which is also important to the industries.”
Opposition reacts
Speaking to reporters at Regina airport, Opposition critic for Economy and Jobs Aleana Young welcomed the move to reduce trade barriers, but added more needed to be done, including prioritizing local procurement.
“Removing barriers to interprovincial trade is important for all economies in Canada but what this can't be is a race to the bottom when it comes to ensuring local procurement, when it comes to ensuring occupational health and safety or labour standards,” Young said.
“The Premier has repeatedly insisted that there is no impact of tariffs and there's no need for action. But what we see and what I heard loud and clear in Ontario where they have a steel industry, where they have a trucking industry, where they have manufacturing, is that jobs are being lost and the impact of tariffs and this uncertainty is hurting households now. We see that in Saskatchewan and it's good that we're looking at reducing barriers to interprovincial trade but this province deserves a government that's focused on leading, not following.”
With files from Jon Perez
