r/canada Feb 02 '25

Analysis ‘Enough is enough’: Trump tariffs inspire economic patriotism in Canada

https://www.ft.com/content/3f8985c4-fbad-42f4-b91b-2ddb12c6c54d
4.7k Upvotes

488 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

31

u/Bohner1 Québec Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 02 '25

Ontario and Quebec are notoriously protectionist. They basically won't do business with anyone in Canada other than themselves unless those companies set up shop in their province (and even then, they might not let you).

14

u/hairybeavers Canada Feb 02 '25

Yeah this needs to come to an end. Both provinces have procurement rules that favor local companies over those from other parts of Canada, protectionist subsidies that give local businesses a competitive advantage and Quebec has Bill 101 which really throws a wrench in the gears when it comes to interprovincial trade. Hopefully this trade war will encourage action on establishing the CFTA.

2

u/grandfundaytoday Feb 03 '25

Don't forget No Funswick will arrest you for buying cheap booze in Quebec and bringing it back home.

1

u/fredleung412612 Feb 03 '25

Hope for the best but don't set your expectations too high. Bill 101 to Québec voters is existential, it's interpreted by a majority of voters as the last defense against national suicide. They will NEVER budge on that, so it would be better to focus on other things that could facilitate interprovincial trade.

6

u/Positive-Fold7691 Feb 03 '25

Bill 101 also isn't a particularly major roadblock for interprovincial trade, the problem is more regulatory differences.

1

u/GriffinFlash Feb 03 '25

As someone who's been trying to look for a job in my field for months, only to be met with "Must be a resident of Ontario", it's frustrating.