British Columbia has signed two more internal trade agreements with other Canadian jurisdictions to boost trade and labour mobility, a day after a similar deal with Ontario was announced.
B.C. Premier David Eby says in a statement that the province has signed separate deals with Manitoba and Yukon, agreeing to work “to remove trade barriers between provinces and territories.”
The statement says the deal signed with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew includes measures to increase the mobility of regulated workers and professionals between the two provinces, and allowing direct alcohol sales from Manitoba to B.C. consumers.
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B.C. alcoholic beverages can already be sold directly to consumers in Manitoba.
The Yukon agreement signed with Premier Mike Pemberton focuses on the removal of trade barriers as well as the alignment of standards for regulated occupations.
The deal between B.C. and Yukon is in addition to a memorandum in May that the two jurisdictions will co-operate on possibly connecting their power grids.
“With these trade agreements, we’re making it easier to buy and sell our great Canadian products to our fellow Canadian neighbours,” Eby says in the statement. “This is another important step toward building a stronger economy here at home — one that’s less reliant on the U.S and works better for people.”
The deals were signed at the premiers’ meeting in Huntsville, Ont., where B.C.’s agreement with Ontario was made public Monday.
Ontario also announced agreements with Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, which Premier Doug Ford said when combined with the B.C. deal would help Canada unlock roughly $200 billion in economic potential.
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