Take note Britain.
This is how it's done.
Provinces, territories reach deal in principle on interprovincial trade
The biggest deal coming out of the annual premiers' meeting, which wrapped up Friday in Whitehorse, was the one that almost didn't happen at all. But after extending their conference beyond the scheduled closing, the premiers came up with an agreement in principle for a free-trade deal within Canada.
Free trade. Within Canada. It's taken years to get to this point. Much longer than, say, negotiating the proposed free-trade deal with the European Union. Or the Trans-Pacific Partnership. And there are still issues to be ironed out, including this one: "exploring opportunities to improve trade in beer, wine and spirits across Canada."
To say that provincial laws banning the import of booze take protectionism to absurd lengths is like saying if you drink too much you'll have a hangover the next day.
Provinces decree different sizes for beer bottles. New Brunswick just lost a court case in which the province charged a retired steelworker for bringing 14 cases of beer and three bottles of liquor into the province for his personal consumption.
Booze wasn't the only obstacle. Several delegations said Alberta's Rachel Notley insisted on a carve-out that would give Alberta-based companies preference in bidding on her government's $34 billion in infrastructure projects over three years.
Other premiers objected to the protectionist element. The deal hung in the balance. But in the end the premiers did what Canadian politicians invariably do: they compromised.
If that hadn't happened, the big news coming out of Whitehorse would have been that they failed. Or perhaps even worse. The media coverage would have focused on another deal that is sure to make wine lovers happy — but only if they live in the country's three largest provinces.
Provinces, territories reach deal in principle on interprovincial trade - Politics - CBC News
This is how it's done.
Provinces, territories reach deal in principle on interprovincial trade
The biggest deal coming out of the annual premiers' meeting, which wrapped up Friday in Whitehorse, was the one that almost didn't happen at all. But after extending their conference beyond the scheduled closing, the premiers came up with an agreement in principle for a free-trade deal within Canada.
Free trade. Within Canada. It's taken years to get to this point. Much longer than, say, negotiating the proposed free-trade deal with the European Union. Or the Trans-Pacific Partnership. And there are still issues to be ironed out, including this one: "exploring opportunities to improve trade in beer, wine and spirits across Canada."
To say that provincial laws banning the import of booze take protectionism to absurd lengths is like saying if you drink too much you'll have a hangover the next day.
Provinces decree different sizes for beer bottles. New Brunswick just lost a court case in which the province charged a retired steelworker for bringing 14 cases of beer and three bottles of liquor into the province for his personal consumption.
Booze wasn't the only obstacle. Several delegations said Alberta's Rachel Notley insisted on a carve-out that would give Alberta-based companies preference in bidding on her government's $34 billion in infrastructure projects over three years.
Other premiers objected to the protectionist element. The deal hung in the balance. But in the end the premiers did what Canadian politicians invariably do: they compromised.
If that hadn't happened, the big news coming out of Whitehorse would have been that they failed. Or perhaps even worse. The media coverage would have focused on another deal that is sure to make wine lovers happy — but only if they live in the country's three largest provinces.
Provinces, territories reach deal in principle on interprovincial trade - Politics - CBC News