We may still be negotiating some sort of trade deal with the Americans but there’s certainly a lot of momentum on deals on the domestic front.
After decades of complaining that Canada’s economy is a hodge-podge of rules and protectionist measures to safeguard the interests of various provinces, our new prime minister said the time had arrived for one Canadian economy rather than 13. And clearly the premiers have joined that bandwagon.
Saskatchewan signed three new MOUs this week alone.
The Premiers are meeting in Ontario this week and topping the agenda is trade and the new landscape being shaped by Donald Trump. His arrival on the scene has put all those age-old protectionist regulations on the table at this Premiers’ meeting. Saskatchewan, for example, inked a plan to work on pipelines and corridors with Alberta and Ontario, as well as agreements with Manitoba and PEI.
There are plenty of rules and barriers still to go but there is no doubt the Trump effect is shaping trade policy all the way down to the provincial level on this side of the border.
