Cut red tape. Boost productivity. Foster economic growth. Improve worker mobility.
Ontario has a chance to do all of these and more.
All it takes is joining a little-known (but economically important!) trade agreement with Canada’s four Western provinces: the New West Partnership.
Canada’s productivity and growth challenges are well known. And many ideas have been proposed to address it, from tax reform to easing regulatory burdens to leveraging our natural resources. But the ability of individuals and businesses to trade across provincial boundaries is perhaps the lowest-hanging fruit of them all.
This isn’t news to avid readers of The Hub. Recent articles from Ryan Manucha, Fen Osler Hampson and Tim Sargent, Brenda Frank and Etienne Rainville, and others have made this very point.
At a time of deglobalization and uncertainty abroad, improving our internal market—which accounts for one-fifth of Canada’s economy, or over $520 billion per year—could boost the economy and hedge our risks. And there’s room to grow.
