‘Waiting a long time for this’: B.C. wine industry welcomes changes to interprovincial trading rules

Canadian provinces are pushing for new rules for interprovincial trade amid President Donald Trump’s ongoing tariff threats.

Debbie Etsell’s family-owned winery in Abbotsford, B.C., welcomes guests from across the country. But current rules make it tough to keep them as customers.

“They want to bring some wine home or have it shipped there, and they can’t,” said Etsell, owner of Singletree Winery.

As of right now, she says, shipping her wine to most provinces is either not allowed or requires a hefty surcharge. However, new proposed laws could change that.

“Our goal is a permanent restructuring of trade across the country so that we’re never in this position again,” said B.C. Premier David Eby during a news conference Thursday.

Eby’s proposed legislation is part of a nation-wide push to make cross-country trade easier for Canadian businesses.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this,” said Etsell. “It’s sort of a combination of red tape and cost, is what it comes down to, and if those things are made easy and understandable and approachable, it’ll be a great thing.”

“It’s definitely something that will help all of B.C. wineries,” said Mary McDermott, winemaker with Township 7 Vineyards & Winery. “We want our industry to thrive, survive and contribute and be sustainable. And this is the way that it will happen.”

Eby said the legislation, if passed, would also make workers' credentials more easily recognized from province to province.

Also, he said B.C. telecommunications giant Telus could face fewer challenges in expanding across the country.

“Telus, who’s headquartered here in British Columbia, is not able to access internet infrastructure in Ontario and Quebec,” said Eby. “And yet Ontario and Quebec firms are able to access internet infrastructure to resell it here in British Columbia.”

A company representative called Eby’s move a step in the right direction.

“Telus welcomes Premier Eby’s support as we fight to break down Interprovincial trade barriers in the telecom space and increase competition in Canada,” said Richard Gilhooley, director of public affairs with Telus.

A senior analyst with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says removing trade restrictions could give the country a major economic boost.

“Studies have told us that by removing these internal trade barriers through mutual recognition, it can boost the Canadian economy by over $200 billion,” said SeoRhin Yoo, CFIB senior policy analyst for interprovincial affairs. “That’s not a small drop in the bucket. And while, you know, removing internal trade barriers isn’t going to be the silver bullet when we’re faced with a 25 per cent tariff on all goods, it can definitely soften the blow for a lot of Canadians.”

At this point, the details of the proposed changes to interprovincial trade are unclear. Eby’s NDP government is expected to introduce the legislation next week, but any rule changes would require cooperation from leaders across the country and could take months to implement.