Nova Scotia to introduce bill to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers: premier

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston made a surprise appearance on Ontario’s election campaign trail Thursday, where he said his province will table legislation to reduce interprovincial trade barriers.

Houston made the announcement as he introduced fellow Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford at a campaign event in Milton, Ont., ahead of that province’s Feb. 27 election.

With the threat of potential U.S. tariffs hanging over Canada’s economy, Houston decried the “foolishness” of making businesses in Canada deal with the “painful nuances” of trying to sell across 13 jurisdictions. The premier said it’s time for things to change.

“It’s time to protect Canadian companies by opening access to all 40 million Canadian consumers,” Houston said. “We’ve made laws and barriers that actually suggest that a frozen meat pizza made in Nova Scotia is safe for Nova Scotians but not Ontarians. Give me a break.”

Houston said the bill — which has yet to be tabled but will be called the Free Trade and Mobility Within Canada Act — would allow Canadian goods and services to be sold in Nova Scotia without the need for further testing or red tape in the province. Workers like roofers, teachers and health-care providers would be among those who benefit from the changes, he said.

However, the lifting of restrictions would only apply to provinces and territories that pass similar legislation, and Houston called on them to follow Nova Scotia’s lead.

“Folks, it’s a two-way street and my message to other provinces and territories is, ‘do your part and we will do ours,’” he said, adding that Ford, the incumbent premier of Ontario, is “on board” with the Nova Scotia approach. “If everyone gets on board the best affordable option will be the Canadian option,” Houston said.

The premier also took the opportunity to call for an energy pipeline running from west to east that he said would help reduce Atlantic Canada’s dependence on energy from the United States.

Houston turned up at Ford’s campaign event after his office issued a news release Wednesday saying that he was heading to Washington, D.C., to attend the National Governors Association winter meeting to lobby against the 25 per cent tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose. There was no mention of the trip to Ontario.

NDP Opposition Leader Claudia Chender was less than impressed that Houston bypassed the Nova Scotia legislature to announce the bill.

“I would like to see the premier in the legislature for the few days that we sit, or where he says he’s going to be, which is in Washington, D.C., trying to avert these terrible tariffs,” Chender told reporters. “I think it shows the disregard that our premier has for Nova Scotians and for democracy.”

But she added that her party is open to looking at the details of his bill once it’s tabled. “We all agree that it’s time to bring down interprovincial trade barriers, but that should be an all-hands-on-deck conversation with the business leaders in our province who know best how these barriers should be ameliorated,” Chender said.

Interim Liberal leader Derek Mombourquette also voiced displeasure with the premier for his unannounced appearance in Ontario, but he added that his party realizes the need to streamline interprovincial trade.

“He (Houston) should be here,” said Mombourquette. “We don’t know the details of the bill … we actually tabled a bill in this session around breaking down interprovincial trade barriers, so it’s something we support.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2025.

— With files from Allison Jones in Milton, Ont.

Keith Doucette, The Canadian Press