‘Silly Rules’ Cost Canadian Economy $8B Each Year

(Brian Lilley — Toronto Sun)

It’s illegal for a Canadian to take a bottle of wine across a provincial border or for a hairdresser to set up shop in another province without undergoing testing.

A new report says these and other goofy rules cost the Canadian economy $8 billion each year.

While the Harper government pursues free trade agreements overseas and has put stopping protectionist measures at the heart of the G8 and G20 meetings, a paper issued Monday by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute says it is time for the federal government to put an end to what one author describes as silly rules. […]

International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan met with his provincial and territorial counterparts in Ottawa on Monday; the issue of trade within Canada was not on the agenda.

“Canada is a free trade leader. Our economic success depends on free trade, not protectionism,” Van Loan said in a press release.

“He’s right,” said Robson. “Now let’s do it at home.”

Read more here. Find out more about the report “Citizen of One, Citizen of the Whole: How Ottawa can strengthen our nation by eliminating provincial trade barriers with a charter of economic rights” by Brian Lee Crowley, Robert Knox and John Robson” here.

Related: Report urges more power for Ottawa (Toronto Star)