Tories would push for Manitoba to join trade alliance

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This article was published 05/04/2016 (3794 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives say they’ll bring the province into the New West Partnership trade agreement if they take office later this month.

PC leader Brian Pallister pledg‎ed Tuesday to begin talks to bring Manitoba into a trade alliance with Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. 

Pallister spent much of the past two legislative sessions criticizing Greg Selinger’s NDP government for not entering into the trade agreement.

The Tory leader claims the move has cost Manitoba businesses work in the other provinces. 

Speaking at Tenderloin Meat & Sausage in West Kildonan, Pallister repeated a story he has told before: A Swan River business considered opening a shop in Saskatchewan in order to bid on work with a Saskatchewan Crown corporation that gives preference to businesses in New West member provinces.

“We don’t need people moving away from Manitoba, setting up shops in neighbouring jurisdictions to create jobs. We need more people setting up shop here,” Pallister said.

Another firm, Grandeur Housing in Winkler, could not bid on work with a Saskatchewan Crown for the same reason, said Colin Fast, spokesman for the Winnipeg Construction Association.

Pallister said he could not quantify the economic benefits of joining the New West Partnership. He pegged the annual cost of membership at less than $500,000, primarily to cover trade-mission costs.

In a statement, the NDP accused the Tory leader of being “fixated on an isolated regional trading bloc” instead of considering interprovincial trade on a national level.
”Trade officials are in negotiations on a renewed Agreement on Internal Trade for all of Canada, not just the west. Manitoba actually does more trade with our eastern neighbours and it doesn’t make sense to put important markets and jobs at risk by joining in on an agreement that’s proving to be protectionist,” NDP spokesman Andrew Tod said in the statement.

Pallister called the NDP argument specious. “We’re missing opportunities to do more business with our neighbours and we’re using the argument that we don’t do more business with our neighbours. Are you serious?” Pallister asked. “The notion we don’t do business with our neighbours to the west is not an argument. It’s an excuse.”

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