FREDERICTON — Prime Minister Mark Carney has criticized New Brunswick’s proposed highway toll by its boundary with Nova Scotia, saying the federal government is trying to knock down internal trade barriers amid economic headwinds.
During remarks to reporters in Ottawa on Thursday, Carney said his government has adopted legislation to remove all federal barriers to interprovincial trade and will increase pressure on provinces to do their part.
“No, I’m not happy … with the intention of New Brunswick, and we’ll continue to discuss with them,” Carney said.
In response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian products like aluminum and steel, federal, provincial and territorial governments have been working to reduce internal trade barriers that limit labour mobility and the movement of goods. Earlier this year the International Monetary Fund said knocking down internal barriers to trade could raise Canada’s GDP by seven per cent — nearly $210 billion.
Over the past year, New Brunswick has taken some actions to bring down barriers through legislation and unilateral trade agreements with other provinces.
But Premier Susan Holt’s Liberal government announced in March that to help pay for road maintenance it would start tolling out-of-province vehicles on a highway in Aulac, N.B., by 2028, which sits across from Nova Scotia.
The toll was included in the government’s latest budget, which forecast a record $1.3-billion deficit.
Despite the criticism, Holt has said her government is moving ahead. Critics of the plan include the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, which has said the proposed toll goes against efforts to boost interprovincial trade and will discourage investment.
During a news conference in Ottawa earlier this week, Holt noted that other provinces like Ontario and Nova Scotia have tolls, too.
“It’s quite common, actually,” she said.
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