Former Battle River–Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek and a panel of experts say Canada’s prosperity is being undercut by trade barriers at every level of government, from international disputes to municipal red tape, and warn that failing to address them leaves businesses across the country vulnerable.Speaking at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Calgary on Saturday, Kurek — who comes from an agricultural background — argued that the free movement of goods and services is “the foundation of prosperity.”He said Canadians across rural and urban communities alike are increasingly fearful about how trade tensions impact their livelihoods, especially after a decade of policies from the federal Liberals, which he believes have overpromised and underdelivered.“When governments create confidence, capital returns,” he said on the panel moderated by Bernie Morton, COO of the Canada West Foundation.“You can build a pipeline in two years and see a return on investment in four. That’s when you start to see mines and other major projects being built.“Whether it’s Donald Trump threatening tariffs, provincial boundaries complicating commerce, or even local bureaucratic hurdles between municipalities, these hindrances directly impact our ability to prosper.”Kurek called for a confidence reset in Canada’s economic potential, with policies that would remove barriers to development.Others on the panel echoed Kurek’s sentiments..EXCLUSIVE: Ontario MP Jamil Jivani slams Ford’s leadership: 'No ideology, just staying in power”.Carlo Dade of the New North America Initiative and Director of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary noted that many internal Canadian trade barriers are “false” obstacles that stifle opportunity.He said Canadian businesses often find it easier to access larger nearby U.S. markets — citing places such as Spokane or Great Falls — than to expand trade within Canada.Marco Navarro-Génie, Vice-President of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, questioned whether Canada is “trapped” by protectionism.He argued that during the Trump presidency, Canadian leaders responded to American trade nationalism with their own “little Trump” policies instead of championing free enterprise.“The biggest enemy really is us,” Navarro-Génie said.“We reacted to the Trump threat by being Trump, but in a smaller bottle. Trump is not just about essentially strengthening the national economy, but the local economy.”He said regulatory organizations that have been entrenched for decades have also slowed progress, and that excessive bureaucracy has created a “productivity crisis” in Canada, making basic economic activity difficult.“We pay, for example, some of the highest prices for cellular service,” he stated.“[It’s] outrageous compared to the rest of the world. As for banking, we are essentially held hostage in this country by a cartel of banks.”He said that studies suggest eliminating these interprovincial barriers could unlock tens of billions in growth.“If most existing barriers today were essentially taken away, the big capital that you’re asking to be generated in the economy would be somewhere around $50 billion,” he said.“In terms of Alberta, the construction and the functioning of something like energy would generate, on an annual basis, is somewhere in the order of about $15 billion.“[It] doesn’t seem like much, but it’s 20% of the current budget. If you got a bump in salary of 20%, I think you’d be really happy.”.WATCH: Smith pushes 'pioneer spirit' and free market vision at CSFN conference.According to Dade, breaking down Canada’s internal trade barriers will also require more than economic arguments, it will require reassurance for officials and support for those who fear being left to the unknown.“If there are harms that come from liberalizing trade, we must make some efforts to mitigate that harm, and help companies transition,” he said.“The Americans do this very well. They provide trade adjustment assistance if you can demonstrate that you’ve been harmed,” he said.He added that economic data alone has failed to move the issue forward.“We’ve been banging our heads against this wall for generations in Canada, and if that hasn’t worked for 40, 50, or 100 years, what makes us think that throwing out new numbers is going to change people?”“This is not a call to suddenly spend money. You need to defuse the political opposition, which is based on fear of something that may or may not happen, and diminish that fear by letting them know that government will stand with them,” he said.He pointed to Saskatchewan’s recent efforts to support local businesses as a good example.“What Saskatchewan is doing is investing money to help small construction companies improve their bidding process and business systems. They’ve got a double win by getting cheaper services from Alberta, and also by using the threat of competition to make Saskatchewan firms more receptive.”Kurek pointed to recent debates on property taxes, energy policy, and federal regulations as examples of a changing landscape in the minds of Canadians regarding these trade barriers and issues.“We have won the debate on resources, oil and gas and otherwise, to a point where a massive plurality of Canadians from coast to coast support the development and export of Canadian resources,” he stated.He concluded by highlighting the liberal government’s backtracking on vehicle regulations as evidence of increased conservative influence going forward in Canadian politics.“We have to see the politicians follow through on where they’ve taken our ideas and present a very real, tangible path forward... You have to make sure that the country actually promotes and fosters growth.”
