Trump ‘tariffs’ threat should hasten trade liberalization among provinces

To much fanfare, President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all imported products coming into the United States from Canada. The premiers will meet with Prime Minister Trudeau this week to discuss the situation and possible next steps. While the discussion will no doubt focus on trade with the U.S. and other countries, they should also consider trade reform within our national border.

Indeed, provinces and territories have considerable autonomy to set rules for trade with other Canadian jurisdictions. These rules (or barriers) include different inspection and labelling requirements for agricultural goods, different trucking regulations, different standards and certifications for professionals, provincial monopolies over alcohol distribution, and more.

As with international barriers, trade barriers within Canada inhibit the free flow of goods, services and labour between provinces, which reduces productivity and increases prices. In other words, Canadians pay the price for our interprovincial trade barriers. And the costs are significant. Research suggests that interprovincial trade barriers add between 7.8 per cent and 14.5 per cent to the price of goods and services including groceries and other necessities.

More broadly, according to a 2020 study published by the Fraser Institute, interprovincial trade barriers cost the Canadian economy more than $32 billion per year or approximately 1.4 per cent of GDP. According to a TD report released last month, a 10 per cent across-the-board tariff by the U.S. (and the subsequent retaliation by Canada on U.S. imports) would reduce Canada’s GDP by approximately 2.4 percentage points over two years, compared to current baseline projections. Therefore, if Canadian policymakers removed interprovincial trade barriers they could mitigate much of the economic harm caused by potential new U.S. tariffs.

What would those changes look like?

While the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)—a 2017 agreement between the federal government and all provincial and territorial governments—was an important step toward greater trade liberalization in Canada, the Trudeau government should propose a policy of “mutual recognition” so that any item that meets the regulatory requirements of a single province or territory automatically satisfies the requirements of another.

And while the federal government should promote free trade within Canada, provincial and territorial governments should also reduce barriers. In addition to negotiating agreements among themselves (such as the New West Partnership Trade Agreement between British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba) provinces can unilaterally eliminate self-imposed trade barriers (as Alberta did in 2019 with grazing permits for livestock and other reforms).

Trade is fundamental to economic activity, opportunity and prosperity for Canadians from coast to coast. In light of Trump’s aggressive trade posture, now more than ever the federal government and the provinces and territories should work together to remove interprovincial trade barriers to mitigate any economic damage from a hostile trade regime south of the border.

Jake Fuss

Director, Fiscal Studies, Fraser Institute

Grady Munro

Policy Analyst, Fraser Institute

Related Topics:#FraserInstitute #GradyMunro #JakeFuss CanadaUSTrade CanadianFreeTradeAgreement InterprovincialTrade ProvincialTrade TrumpTariffs

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Biden’s Dumb LNG Pause Has Rightfully Met Its End

Agriculture / 6 hours ago

USDA reveals plan to combat surging egg prices

Business / 6 hours ago

“The insanity is ending”: USDA cancels $600k grant to study transgender men’s menstruation

Agriculture

USDA reveals plan to combat surging egg prices

Published on March 9, 2025

Todayville

MxM News

Quick Hit:

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins has unveiled the Trump administration’s plan to tackle surging egg prices, focusing on chicken repopulation and biosecurity measures while rejecting mandatory vaccines for poultry. The move aims to counter the economic impact of mass culling under the Biden administration’s failed policies.

Key Details:

The USDA’s $1 billion plan includes biosecurity enhancements, rapid chicken repopulation, deregulation, and increased egg imports.
Rollins ruled out mandating avian flu vaccines after research showed inefficacy in countries like Mexico.
The administration is prioritizing securing farms against virus transmission while working on long-term solutions to stabilize egg prices.

Diving Deeper:

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, detailed the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to reducing skyrocketing egg prices, which she attributed to policy failures under former President Joe Biden. Rollins made it clear that President Donald Trump’s administration is focusing on restoring the poultry industry through chicken repopulation, strengthening biosecurity at farms, and removing unnecessary regulations that have stifled industry growth.

Rollins criticized Biden-era policies, noting that while the previous administration recognized the risks of avian flu, it failed to act decisively. “This has been going on now for two years. So it isn’t just regulation and all of the cost input increases and overregulation from the Biden administration, but it’s also not completely addressing the avian bird flu a couple years ago when it first hit,” she said. Under Biden, approximately 160 million chickens were culled, exacerbating supply shortages and sending prices soaring.

To address the crisis, the USDA’s plan includes five key pillars. First, the administration is investing in farm biosecurity, ensuring facilities are properly sealed to prevent virus transmission from wild fowl. Second, the repopulation of poultry flocks is being expedited by removing regulatory roadblocks. Third, the administration is pushing for deregulation in areas such as processing plant operations and California’s Proposition 12, which Rollins called “devastating” to the industry. Fourth, to alleviate immediate supply issues, the U.S. is negotiating egg imports from Turkey and other nations.

The final component of the plan, initially a proposed vaccine initiative, has been scrapped. Rollins stated that studies showed vaccinated poultry in Mexico still contracted avian flu at an alarming rate, making the approach ineffective. “I pulled that off the table,” she declared, adding that the administration is prioritizing research into alternative therapeutic solutions.

In addition to economic recovery efforts, Rollins praised President Trump’s recent address to Congress, highlighting his focus on American farmers and families. She also condemned congressional Democrats for their lack of support for crime victims’ families honored during the speech. “It is stunning,” Rollins said of their refusal to stand during key moments.

Looking ahead, Rollins reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to American farmers, emphasizing that Trump’s trade strategy is centered on protecting agricultural interests. “He is hyper-focused and passionately involved himself… fighting for our farmers, our ranchers, and entire agriculture community,” she said.

Business

“The insanity is ending”: USDA cancels $600k grant to study transgender men’s menstruation

Published on March 9, 2025

Todayville

MxM News

Quick Hit:

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Friday that the Department of Agriculture has canceled a $600,000 federal grant intended for a study on menstrual cycles in transgender men. Rollins declared the decision part of broader efforts to end what she called “insanity” and restore common sense in government spending.

Key Details:

The grant description outlined the study’s focus on menstruation, stating that most women experience around 450 menstrual cycles over their lifetime, while also emphasizing that “transgender men and people with masculine gender identities, intersex and non-binary persons may also menstruate.”
Researchers aimed to explore concerns related to menstruation, including the potential use of natural fibers, such as hemp, in feminine hygiene products.
The American Principles Project, a conservative nonprofit, first identified the study as part of a broader review of more than 340 federally funded grants during the Biden administration, which amounted to over $128 million.

🚨CANCELLED: $600,000 grant to study “menstrual cycles in transgender men”

Keep sending us tips. THANK YOU, @approject! The insanity is ending and the restoration of America is underway. 🇺🇸💪❤️ https://t.co/7S53WQ3CP3

— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) March 8, 2025

Diving Deeper:

The Department of Agriculture’s decision to revoke the $600,000 grant marks another rollback of Biden-era initiatives under the new administration. The study, awarded to Southern University Agricultural & Mechanical College, was originally slated to continue through April 2027, focusing on menstruation-related concerns, including the development of eco-friendly hygiene products.

A description of the study noted that menstruation typically begins around age 12 and continues until menopause, averaging around 450 cycles in a lifetime. The grant documentation also stated that menstruation is not limited to biological women, arguing that transgender men and other gender identities may also experience it.

Rollins took to social media platform X to confirm the cancellation, writing, “CANCELLED: $600,000 grant to study ‘menstrual cycles in transgender men.’” She credited the American Principles Project for uncovering the grant and added, “Keep sending us tips. THANK YOU, @approject! The insanity is ending and the restoration of America is underway.”