N.B. government to eliminate more interprovincial trade exceptions

The New Brunswick flag waves in front of the legislative building in Fredericton. (Laura Brown/CTV Atlantic)

The New Brunswick government says it is taking more steps to remove trade barriers between provinces, as it looks to lead the way when it comes to internal trade.

The province announced Thursday it would remove five party-specific exceptions under the government procurement chapter of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement:

• Atlantic Lottery Corporation
• wastewater commissions
• regional service commissions (formerly solid waste commissions)
• Fredericton Area Pollution Control Commission and Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission
• newly created entities (for example, Crown corporations)

The province says the removal of the exception for newly created entities is immediate and the other four will take effect Sept. 1, allowing time for the organizations “to adjust to new procurement requirements.”

“New Brunswick is moving full steam ahead on removing interprovincial trade barriers and improving the flow of workers, goods and services in and out of New Brunswick,” said Premier Susan Holt.

Earlier this year, on March 20, New Brunswick announced the removal or amendment of 10 party-specific exceptions for:

• Provincial Holdings Ltd.
• Forest Protection Ltd.
• New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council
• New Brunswick Arts Board
• New Brunswick Credit Union Deposit Insurance Corp.
• New Brunswick Farm Products Commission
• New Brunswick Museum
• the procurement of goods restricted by law from interprovincial movement
• mining
• fisheries and aquaculture (narrowed – only applied reciprocally to other jurisdictions that maintain the same exception)

“As part of our work with the committee on internal trade, we pledged to quickly review all of New Brunswick’s 32 party-specific exceptions,” said Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Jean-Claude D’Amours. “We’re pleased to have cut that number by nearly half since the beginning of the year, and we remain committed to exploring further opportunities to remove barriers and the remaining exceptions.”

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