Premiers to open New Brunswick meeting

Yorkregion.com
July 19, 2018
The Canadian Press

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Saskatchewan's Scott Moe are expected to push their opposition to Ottawa's carbon pricing policy as Canada's First Ministers officially open two days of meetings in New Brunswick today.

The pair held a photo-op for reporters, but didn't comment before a bilateral meeting at the Algonquin Hotel in the scenic seaside town of St. Andrews late Wednesday night.

They are expected to issue a joint statement on carbon pricing just prior to the opening of two days of formal meetings by the Council of the Federation -- an alliance of premiers that sets the agenda for the provinces in Ottawa.

Ford's newly-elected government is scrapping the province's cap-and-trade program, while Saskatchewan has mounted a legal challenge against the federal carbon price.

A federally imposed carbon price would start at $20 per tonne and increase to a level of $50 a tonne by 2022.

Meanwhile, New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant issued a written response to all premiers in support of a letter issued last week by Manitoba's Brian Pallister which called for provinces to remove limits on the interprovincial transportation of alcohol for personal use.

In the letter dated July 18, Gallant said barriers need to be reduced to transporting wine, beer, and spirits to "give greater choice to consumers and broader markets for producers."

"Canadians will expect movement on this issue and I can say unequivocally that New Brunswick is prepared to take significant action to move us in that direction," Gallant wrote.

The stance is an apparent about face for New Brunswick, which won a court battle in April against Gerald Comeau, who had fought to transport alcohol across the provincial border with Quebec.

The Supreme Court upheld the province's law that fined Comeau $240 for bringing a load of beer and liquor across the border.

In his letter, Gallant said his province also supports addressing four specific items identified by Pallister including abattoir licencing, harmonizing trucking regulations, business registration requirements, and standards for First Aid courses and kits.

The provincial leaders are expected to discuss a range of other topics, including the U.S. trade dispute, health care, the announced pullout of Greyhound from bus routes in Western Canada, and the skirmish between Alberta and British Columbia over the Trans Mountain pipeline project.