A
Senate report on agriculture trade calls for the elimination of
inter-provincial trade barriers and more efforts to boost exports.
The
report was released while federal and provincial ministers of
agriculture were meeting and apparently talking about
inter-provincial trade barriers without making any progress they were
prepared to announce.
The
key points in the Senate report are recommendations that:
-
The federal government eliminate non-tariff barriers to trade and
pursue free trade agreements with other countries.
-
All levels of government work
together to eliminate inter-provincial trade barriers and invest in
rail, road and marine infrastructure to guarantee that Canadian
producers and processors are able to efficiently transport their
products to consumers.
-
The
federal government improve access to infrastructure grants for
farmers and food producers who want to invest in new technologies,
and that Employment
and Social Development Canada and Immigration
and Citizenship Canada create
programs that help farmers hire foreign workers to address labour
shortages.
