TILMA: Coalition of Canadian business groups to lobby provincial premiers in Moncton

The National Post is reporting that a coalition of Canadian business groups is planning to lobby provincial premiers in Moncton to scrap alleged internal trade barriers. The Council of the Federation meets August 8-10.

The article does not disclose the identity of coalition members.

“Making changes to policies to improve trade and mobility between provinces will promote entrepreneurship and enable businesses to grow and flourish in Canada, establishing them as competitive players in the international marketplace,” said Michael Murphy, acting president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

The Canadian Chamber represents over 350 chambers, close to 70 business associations, and many corporate members. According to the Chamber “it speaks with a voice that is 170,000 businesses strong.”

In 2004 the Chamber surveyed its members to identify barriers to trade. The report Obstacles to Free Trade in Canada: A Study on Internal Trade Barriers was released in November 2004.

Of the thousands of businesses across Canada that the questionnaire likely reached the Chamber received just 106 responses. Of those only 37 companies (or 34.9%) said they experienced barriers to trade within Canada, seven of which said they “worked with the provincial or territorial government to resolve the barrier.”

That so few companies could be bothered to respond to the Chamber’s national survey suggests that alleged interprovincial trade barriers are not a particularly important issue for Canadian business.

---------------------------------------------------------------

BUSINESS GROUPS TO TAKE INTERNAL TRADE BARRIERS BATTLE TO PREMIERS

Paul Vieira, Financial Post

Published: Thursday, August 02, 2007

A coalition of Canadian business groups says it plans to take its fight for scrapping internal trade barriers to the upcoming meeting of provincial premiers in Moncton this month. The business groups say they will urge the premiers to strengthen provisions in a current agreement on internal trade that deals with dispute resolution. Based on its experience, the coalition has concluded that the current deal, negotiated in 1995, is limited, complex and inaccessible to businesses. Its worst flaw, they say, is the absence of consequences if governments fail to comply with their obligations -- citing the Quebec government's refusal to adhere to a ruling that it must repeal restrictions on the sale of coloured margarine. "Making changes to policies to improve trade and mobility between provinces will promote entrepreneurship and enable businesses to grow and flourish in Canada, establishing them as competitive players in the international marketplace," said Michael Murphy, acting president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Alberta and British Columbia negotiated their own free trade deal due to frustration and unhappiness with the 1995 agreement on internal trade. The federal Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty, has already signalled that removing trade barriers will be among his top priorities when Parliament resumes in the fall.

© National Post 2007