Liberal minister Bains calls ex-minister Moore to give credit on interprovincial trade deal

As the provinces and territories prepare to release the text of their much-anticipated Canada Free Trade Agreement Friday, the current federal minister on the file called the former federal minister to say thanks.

• Provinces to release details of interprovincial free trade deal Friday

"I work with NDP governments, Liberalgovernments, Conservative governments. This is not a partisan issue," Liberal Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains said after speaking to Conservative James Moore late Tuesday. "We want to strengthen our home field advantage ...we need to work with individuals from different political persuasions.

"I wanted to acknowledge the work done by Minister Moore onthis file."

"He's generous to do that," Moore said Wednesday when CBC News asked him to confirm the call. "I put a lot of sweat equity into the file when I was industry minister.

"There are a lot of issues on which Liberals andConservatives can disagree, there are some issues on which we can agree, and this is one: binding Canada together more effectively through trade and economicintegration."

Thesekudos for erstwhile opponents arebecoming a bit of a trend with Justin Trudeau's government.

After Canada signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union, then Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland crossed the floor of the House of Commons to give her Conservative predecessor, Ed Fast, a hug.

The heaviest negotiating happened under the Conservative watch.

Freeland hugs Conservative MP Ed Fast

8 years ago

Duration 1:10

International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland crosses the floor of the House of Commons to hug her predecessor, Ed Fast, who spent years working on the CETA deal that was signed over the weekend.

Then there's former Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroneyhardly a fan of Liberals, butacknowledged to have close contacts with powerful Americanspast and present.

He's consultingwith Trudeau's government as it works on its strategy for U.S. relations under President Donald Trump.

• Brian Mulroney to address key Canada-U.S. cabinet committee

When Bains joins his provincial and territorial counterparts in Toronto for the CFTA unveiling, there will be plenty of non-Liberals there, as well as business organizations that don't always singthe government's praises.

All part of the ambition of this exercise, the federal ministersaid.

"We're seeing all levels of government come together to really put forwardhistoric commitments about regulatory reform," the minister said. "This is really about strengthening our position globally as an economy andmaking us more competitive."

Team Canada for the win?

Moore was asked how it feels to see someone else finish what he started.

"Hopefully that effort that we put in those years ago has been realized into something that will be meaningful to Canadians," he said.

But he added,"I'm not convinced that it's going to be the ending quite frankly. These things take time." He wants to see how comprehensive the deal is before judging.

"There's a reason why these things are challenging," he said. "To facilitate east-west trade has been a challenging issue for many governments throughout the sweepof Canada's history."

His success at getting provinces and territories to the table in 2014was nudged along by what they hadsigned off on earlier that same year in trade talks with the EU.

"At a certain point we look ridiculous if we are allowing European economies and European citizens greater access to the Canadian economy than we allow Canadians," he said. "Ifyou're prepared to allow Germans and French and Spaniards into your province, why wouldn't New Brunswickers be open to allowingBritish Columbians into your local economy as well?

"It's in my view impossible to argue against."

Bains agrees that the pressure to be more internationally competitive added a sense of urgency to the interprovincialtalks.

But the willingness of the current Quebec government to work with other jurisdictions as well as the overall tone Trudeauhas set for working collaboratively and respectfully across jurisdictions havealso "helped enormously," Bains said.

Canada's birthday present

Bains said he hasheard from shipping companies in his Mississauga, Ont., riding near Toronto's Pearson airport about the headaches they face so long as trucking regulations for weights and dimensions and hours of work are not aligned across the country.

Energy efficiency standards also vary by jurisdiction, adding compliance and certification costs for manufacturers of things like household appliances that they then pass on to consumers.

And even though he doesn't drink himself, he hasheard plenty of negative feedback about how frustrated Canadians are about provincial liquor regulations that don't seem to make business sense.

None of these are solved yet, but Friday kicks off aprocess meant tofix them.

Last June, a report from the Senate's committee on banking, trade and commerce on dismantling Canada's internal trade barriers called on all levels of government to "let Canada's 150thyear end as the country began a century and a half ago: free of interprovincial/interterritorial trade barriers."

"It will make our great nation richer, both spiritually and financially," senators said. "That is the best 150thbirthday present Canadians could receive."

The Senate's suggestion appears to have been seized.

The European trade deal andtheinterprovincialtrade deal are now on track to take effect at about the same time: July 1.

Former Industry Minister James Moore on the Canada Free Trade Agreement

7 years ago

Duration 8:01

'I'm hopeful it's a touchdown but I suspect it will be a field goal. These things take time,' says Moore of the interprovincial deal.