PCs Put Manitobans First, Pass Interprovincial Trade Legislation
WINNIPEG — Manitoba PCs support free trade and the removal of interprovincial trade barriers to help Manitoba businesses flourish and strengthen our economy. To support those priorities and the prosperity of Manitoba families, PCs worked with the government to pass Bill 47, The Fair Trade in Canada Act, on Monday.
“These are unprecedented times when all Canadians—regardless of political stripe—must stand shoulder to shoulder against Trump’s tariffs and for a stronger Canada. That’s why we cooperated in passing Bill 47,” said Obby Khan, Leader of the Official Opposition. “It was disappointing that the NDP voted against our free-trade legislation earlier this year, but Manitoba can’t lag behind the rest of Canada. Our PC team will continue to fight for free trade and labour mobility across the country.”
Previous PC governments have been leaders in removing interprovincial trade barriers in Canada as a participant in the New West Partnership Trade Agreement alongside Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. The NWPTA created Canada’s largest, barrier-free, interprovincial market and committed the provinces to avoiding measures that restrict or impair trade, investment, or labour mobility between them.
Economic growth and prosperity, including strengthening interprovincial trade, have always been a priority for PCs, and always will be. The NDP unfortunately introduced 46 other bills before introducing their fair trade legislation last month, missing the deadline to guarantee its passage.
“Due to the poor planning and mismanagement by the NDP, this important bill might not have passed until the fall of 2026 without the PCs’ support,” said Khan. “But this is another important step for Manitoba’s economic growth and prosperity. While more work needs to be done, we were pleased to work cooperatively to ensure the benefits to businesses and residents are realized quickly.”
The Montreal Economic Institute, an independent think tank that promotes free-market policies, recently said that Manitoba’s interprovincial trade legislation is not as comprehensive as other provinces.
“We were glad to see at least some of the elements of our free trade bill were adopted in the Fair Trade in Canada Act,” said Midland MLA Lauren Stone, PC Critic for Finance. “But there are still many steps that need to be taken by the Manitoba government, our fellow provinces, and the federal government to achieve the goal of barrier-free trade and labour mobility within Canada.”
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For media inquiries, please contact PCCaucus_Media@leg.gov.mb.ca