Canada’s northern premiers are calling for a “territorial trade zone” amid a broader push to liberalize trade within Canada.
The goal of the trade zone is to protect treaties and ensure the unique needs of the territories are taken into account. “We want to be at that table moving toward July 2, but in that short time frame, we (need to) have a lot of discussions, and there’s some very significant, legally binding, constitutionally anchored agreements that we also have to have a look at,” said Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai.
“I think it gives us an opportunity to be willing partners at the table, but it also gives us a chance to educate our other colleagues about what’s unique here,” he said.
Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok cited the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, which requires consultation on legislative changes, while noting an overall openness to breaking down trade barriers.
Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson expressed confidence that the north would see benefits from more open trade.
A 2018 study by G. Kent Fellows and Trevor Tombe from the University of Calgary found a northern infrastructure corridor that reduced trade costs in the territories could nearly double GDP in the region. While the promise of free trade within Canada has long gone unrealized, the scale of the economic threat posed by an unreliable United States, potential economic gains, a relatively unified public, and a government with an imperative to show rapid results is bringing true Canadian free trade closer to reality.
Spencer Fernando
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