🧑‍🔧The Upside of Trump: Improving Business and Trade Within Canada

🚧 🧑‍🔧 The Upside of Trump: Improving Business and Trade Within Canada 🚧

Love him or hate him, Trump’s trade policies had an unexpected effect: forcing Canada to confront its own internal trade barriers.

While we obsess over external trade deals, interprovincial trade restrictions are silently bleeding the Canadian economy—to the tune of billions in lost opportunities.

📊 The Numbers Don’t Lie:
💰 Internal trade barriers increase the cost of goods by 30% on average
🚛 In some regions (like the North), trade costs exceed 60%
📈 Removing these barriers could boost GDP per capita by 4%
🇺🇸 Meanwhile, Canada relies on the U.S. for 63% of its total trade—a risky position as U.S. policies become more protectionist

The Fix?
✅ Streamline provincial regulations – Why does the same product need different certifications in different provinces? Mutual recognition agreements can fix this.
✅ Invest in infrastructure – Remote regions are cut off from economic opportunities due to poor roads, rail, and connectivity. A Northern Transportation Corridor could reduce trade costs and unlock economic potential.
✅ Strengthen provincial trade agreements – The Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) is a step forward, but enforcement is weak. Provinces still impose protectionist policies, especially in energy, construction, and alcohol distribution.
✅ Create a national trade data hub – Unlike international trade, real-time data on interprovincial trade is almost nonexistent. How can policymakers fix what they can’t measure?

🛡️ Why This Matters NOW
As the U.S. ramps up Buy American policies, tariffs, and subsidies, Canada needs a stronger domestic trade network to stay competitive, resilient, and independent.

The Bottom Line? Internal trade reform isn’t just an economic play—it’s a national security strategy. 💡

So, will policymakers step up? Or will we keep paying the price of inefficiency?

What do you think? What’s the biggest trade barrier holding Canada back? Drop your thoughts below. ⬇️

#Trade #Economy #BusinessGrowth #Canada #Competitiveness

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

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