Bill 47 ‘way to start the conversation’

Manitoba business leaders are touting a new interprovincial trade bill as a “positive first step” — albeit one lacking details and key changes they’ve called for.

Bill 47 was passed in the Manitoba legislature on Monday. The bill allows for mutual recognition of goods and services with other jurisdictions who have similar laws.

It comes less than a month ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s deadline; he wants free internal trade by Canada Day.

“The last thing we need is trade barriers within our own country when we have them with the rest of the world,” said Bram Strain, president of the Business Council of Manitoba.

He deemed the greenlighting of Bill 47 a “very positive first step.”

The bill should affect regulations unnoticed by the average shopper. For example, Manitoba will acknowledge other provinces’ food label standards when importing products and vice versa.

Such interactions will follow mutual recognition deals between jurisdictions.

Trucking sector disparities are top of mind for some. There are information gaps — such as different systems to check a company’s history — and inconsistent vehicle and driver regulations.

Such variation can be costly to trucking companies; and that cost may be downloaded onto farmers, said Colin Hornby, general manager of the Keystone Agricultural Producers.

Retailers, hospitality groups and others shipping goods will benefit from more efficient trucking, Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce president Loren Remillard added.

The Manitoba Trucking Association plans to meet with provincial officials about Bill 47’s impact.

“We need to work together, because having different standards is challenging,” said Aaron Dolyniuk, MTA executive director. “What we need to do is harmonize up to a consistently high standard, so that the integrity of safety in the trucking industry is not compromised.”

Manitoba is working with Ottawa on smoothing out trucking regulations nationwide, said provincial Economic Development, Investment and Trade Minister Jamie Moses. He spoke to federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland on the topic last week.

(Manitoba recently changed its semi-truck logo requirements to align with other provinces; it was previously an outlier, requiring a minimum width requirement for letter size.)

In general, breaking down interprovincial barriers should reduce prices for Canadians, said Remillard. “It costs (businesses) less, and they pass that cost on to the consumer.”

If Manitoba signed mutual agreements with every province, Canada’s GDP could grow $26.8 billion, the Montreal Economic Institute projected.

Nova Scotia has circled Manitoba as a mutually recognized province, Moses said.

Ontario, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick have also introduced or passed similar legislation. Manitoba signed a memorandum of understanding with Ontario last month; the deal includes better direct-to-consumer alcohol sales and labour mobility.

Hornby, who’s among Premier Wab Kinew’s private-sector advisers, considers Bill 47 “a way to start the conversation with all the provinces.”

He and others, including the Opposition Progressive Conservatives, stressed a need for more mutual recognition of professional certifications. Health-care staff, veterinarians and lawyers are among the workers business leaders cited.

Bill 47 doesn’t apply to occupations covered by the Labour Mobility Act and Fair Registration Practices in Regulated Professions Act to avoid duplication, Moses said.

He’s working with federal, provincial and territorial governments on a service standard for credential recognition throughout Canada, he added.

Another Bill 47 carve out: it doesn’t apply to goods and services from Crown corporations. Alcohol retailers won’t have easier access to other provinces’ liquor store shelves, noted Kevin Selch, founder of Little Brown Jug Brewing Co. in Winnipeg.

“The LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) is a bit of a beast to access,” he said.

The LCBO is one of the biggest liquor buyers globally. If Manitoba lowers its markup rates, local craft brewers would be more competitive and have a “better home court advantage,” offering lower prices and possibly saving money for marketing elsewhere, Selch added.

“We don’t want to privatize Manitoba Hydro or MPI and our Crown corporations,” Moses said when asked about the exemption.

The province is focused on direct-to-consumer alcohol sales, Moses added. Brewers have been critical, saying Ontario residents and others won’t ship a flat of beer to their homes.

Manitoba Federation of Labour president Kevin Rebeck said he’s watching new deals between provinces “cautiously.”

He fears a “race to the bottom” on health and safety standards in pursuit of economic activity.

“Worker safety needs to be paramount,” Rebeck said. “That shouldn’t be sacrificed or recognized as a barrier.”

Other provinces care about their citizens’ safety; mutual recognition shouldn’t be viewed as an unsafe practice, Remillard said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com