NDP asks Tories to co-operate on passage of interprovincial trade bill before next week’s summer break

The NDP government house leader is asking the Tories to fast-track an interprovincial free trade bill before the Manitoba legislature breaks for the summer recess June 2.

“Bill 47 is critical to Manitoba to respond to tariffs introduced by the (U.S. President Donald) Trump administration,” says a letter Nahanni Fontaine sent Monday to Opposition house leader Derek Johnson.

Bill 47, the Fair Trade in Canada (Internal Trade Mutual Recognition) Act and the Buy Manitoba, Buy Canadian Day Act was introduced Thursday, long past the deadline for bills to be guaranteed passage before the house rises on Monday.

“We must act swiftly to protect Manitoba jobs and our economy,” says Fontaine’s letter, which was shared with the Free Press. The government wants the bill passed before the house rises next Monday and doesn’t return until Oct. 1.

Canada’s first ministers — including Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew — are to meet in Saskatoon next Monday with Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney has said he wants an interprovincial free trade deal done in time for Canada Day, July 1.

The Progressive Conservative house leader asked why the NDP didn’t introduce the bill sooner if its passage is “critical” to Manitoba.

“We all know that tariff threat started even before Donald Trump was elected,” Johnson told reporters Monday. Nova Scotia, he said, introduced a similar bill on Feb. 25 that was passed March 26.

“Since November we’ve asked hundreds of questions about tariffs and how how it’s going to be addressed. We’ve brought forward a matter of public importance for debate,” Johnson said.

If the government introduced the bill before March 19, it would’ve been guaranteed to pass before June 2, he said.

The NDP government has had many opportunities to bring forward its fair trade bill that must work its way through the legislative process, including a public review at the committee stage, he said.

Fontaine said the bill’s introduction was affected by the government’s busy legislative agenda.

“We’ve had many, many bills that have been in the queue, in the works. We get to things as fast as we can alongside our team. It was as fast as we could.”

When the government hadn’t brought forward its fair trade legislation, PC finance critic Lauren Stone introduced a private member’s bill on April 17. It’s similar to the government’s Bill 47 but wasn’t supported by the NDP, said Johnson.

Fontaine told reporters the government couldn’t support the PCs’ fair trade bill because it did not include protections for Crown corporations.

Now Johnson and the PCs have proposed support for fast-tracking Bill 47 if the NDP supports a number of their bills.

Trade Minister Jamie Moses told the legislative assembly last week that Bill 47 aims to increase the flow of goods, services and investments between Manitoba and the rest of the country.

It gives Manitoba the power to designate another province or territory that takes similar steps to remove barriers to trade as a “reciprocating jurisdiction.”

Another region’s products will be treated as if they have met local certification, testing and quality standards under the proposed legislation, and will not be subject to additional approval requirements and related fees. Out-of-province services will also be exempt from related red tape.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca