Canada is made up of ten Provinces and three Territories. United in principle but divided in policy. Various Provincial legislation and Federal Acts have placed barriers on domestic trade and labour between provinces. 

One of the positive results of this economic downturn is that Provinces and Territories have been forced into working with the Government of Canada to remove domestic and labour trade barriers as well as harmonizing professional, product, and environmental standards. Initiatives such as implementing a National Power Grid, National Transportation System and National Securities Regulator are being discussed in an effort to make all regions of Canada work from the same page. I believe the standards and guidelines should be National in scope, but monitoring and enforcement should be in the realm of the Provincial and Territorial governments in an effort to allow the uniqueness of the diversity of regions and to allow the application of local knowledge.

I am not saying that we needed more regulations, but that we need a consistency of existing regulations across Canada. In the past we have all heard the stories of new immigrants that arrive with credentials in different professions that are unable to get work in their profession because the Province or Government of Canada does not recognize their credentials. Our government has set up a Foreign Credentials Recognition Program in an effort to help in this area. The truth is often a Canadian Electrician cannot move from one Province to the next for the same reasons. These barriers are hurting the economy because the mobile labour market cannot move people to jobs from one Province to another as the need arises. Eighty thousand jobs in the Province of Ontario are a direct result of the activities in the Oil and Gas Industry of Alberta.  British Columbia and Alberta were the first Provinces to sign an agreement allowing free flow of goods and services, including labour between their Provinces. This strategy needs to be National in scope.

Protectionism is never a solution for prosperity for any Province. Alberta is a good example of how Canadians from all regions have found employment in a thriving economy and taken the wealth and spent it in other regions of Canada.

Harmonizing of the GST and PST are also being discussed and possibly the other six provinces will follow the lead of the Provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec in the harmonizing of sale taxes? Harmonization of taxes makes it easier on business and cuts the cost of tax collection to government.

Before Canadians can meet our competitive potential in the global economy we need first to meet our potential in our domestic market.