Breaking Down Canada’s Invisible Borders

Breaking Down Canada’s Invisible Borders

Canada is one country—but when it comes to trade within our own borders, it can often feel like 10 separate economies. Interprovincial trade barriers cost our economy billions each year. They limit choice for consumers, raise costs for businesses, and slow down innovation and growth.

The Cost of Interprovincial Trade Barriers

Consider this: it’s often easier for a Canadian company to trade with the United States or Europe than with a neighbouring province. Everything from alcohol and agriculture to transportation and professional certifications can be tied up in outdated restrictions.

Why Politics Keeps Borders in Place

So why haven’t we fixed this? Why do these barriers remain, when almost every expert agrees that removing them would boost our GDP, create jobs, and strengthen national unity?

The answer is simple—politics. Governments at both federal and provincial levels talk about the benefits of free trade inside Canada, but they rarely act decisively. Why? Because barriers protect local industries, generate revenue, and give provincial leaders leverage at the bargaining table. In other words, the political costs of change often outweigh the long-term economic benefits.

But here’s the catch: while governments hesitate, businesses and workers pay the price. Growth opportunities are missed, competitiveness is weakened, and Canada struggles to fully realize its potential as an integrated economy.

A Nation-Building Opportunity Through Free Trade

It’s time for a shift. Removing interprovincial trade barriers isn’t just an economic issue—it’s a nation-building opportunity. By fostering true free trade within Canada, we can unlock growth, empower entrepreneurs, and strengthen the ties that hold our country together.

The question we should be asking is not if we can afford to remove these barriers—but how much longer can we afford not to?

Norman Leach is the Executive Director of The Greater Parkland Regional Chamber of Commerce