Canada's Internal Trade Barriers Outweigh US Tariffs, Report Finds

A report from the Toronto Region Board of Trade warns that Canada's internal trade barriers have a more significant economic impact than US tariffs. According to the study, interprovincial trade restrictions impose costs equivalent to a 9.5% tariff on the Canadian economy.

The report estimates that eliminating these domestic barriers could expand Canada's GDP by around 7% over the long term, resulting in approximately $210 billion in additional economic output.

The Toronto Region Board of Trade is calling for a binding single Canadian market across six priority sectors: housing and building codes, alcohol, food, labour mobility, manufacturing, and transportation. The report recommends that the federal government be authorized to act as guarantor of this single market, convening negotiations and setting deadlines.