NDP Pirate Free Trade Legislation from PCs
WINNIPEG — Once again, Wab Kinew’s NDP government has demonstrated that they are bankrupt of original ideas and pilfer from others to introduce legislation to call their own. The latest example is the pillaging of PCs’ Bill 227, The Free Trade and Mobility Within Canada Act, co-opted by the NDP as the Fair Trade in Canada Act.
“After less than two years on the job, the NDP have proven that they’re out of ideas,” said Midland MLA Lauren Stone, PC Critic for Finance. “We brought forward a free trade bill months ago. The NDP voted against our bill, and only now due to mounting national pressure, are bringing forward legislation—and stole our work in doing so.”
Previously, the NDP co-opted a bill by Roblin MLA Kathleen Cook, PC Critic for Health, to lower the age of breast cancer screening to 40, but without adopting the bill’s accountability measures. They also copied a bill by Brandon West MLA Wayne Balcaen, PC Critic for Justice, to restrict the retail sale of machetes.
The NDP’s so-called Fair Trade Act, however, is a hollow imitation of PCs’ bill, including a huge loophole that the government can exempt industries, goods, and services from the Act through regulations without coming before the Legislative Assembly.
The NDP legislation also fails to accomplish labour mobility between provinces because it exempts all regulated professions from reciprocity rules. It requires the province to actively designate other jurisdictions as reciprocating, instead of making the recognition automatic under the law established by the Act itself—creating more hurdles and artificial barriers.
“Like this premier, the Fair Trade Act is superficial, and instead of taking bold new steps, it chooses to keep the status quo with regulatory hoops and protected sectors. It does little to help labour mobility,” said Stone. “The NDP government had a great example of a free trade through reciprocity bill in our Bill 227, which they chose to defeat in the house and resurrect in their own half-measured way.”
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