Ontario, Manitoba agree to boost interprovincial trade, facing U.S. tariff crunch

CBC News

· Posted: May 14, 2025 11:45 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

As the menace of U.S. tariffs ratchets up unit connected the Canadian economy, the governments of Ontario and Manitoba person agreed to easiness barriers connected the travel of goods, services and workers betwixt the 2 provinces.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced a memorandum of knowing (MOU) astatine a quality league Wednesday. The Ford authorities has precocious signed akin MOUs with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

In 2021, commercialized betwixt Ontario and Manitoba was valued astatine $19.5 billion, the state said successful a quality merchandise Wednesday.

"We're facing a tariff warfare connected 2 fronts and present is the clip to physique up this state we emotion truthful much," Kinew said successful the release. "Through this statement with Ontario, we volition unlock much economical opportunities for radical successful some provinces. As premiers, we are each moving toward the communal extremity of powering our Canadian system toward the future."

"Today's MOU is conscionable the latest measurement we are taking to unlock the tremendous imaginable of existent escaped commercialized wrong Canada, which volition little costs for families and adhd up to $200 cardinal to our nationalist GDP," Ford said successful the release, adding helium looks guardant to signing akin agreements with different provinces.

Ontario's apical exports to Manitoba see household goods, nutrient and beverages, the state says. Manitoba's apical exports to Ontario are canola lipid products and accepted crude oil.

Last month, Ontario tabled caller authorities that Ford said volition marque state the archetypal authorities successful Canada to unconditionally region exceptions to interprovincial escaped trade.

News of the statement comes 1 time earlier Ford unveils his archetypal Ontario budget since winning a third-straight bulk authorities successful February — 1 where the interaction of Trump's tariffs connected the car and alloy sectors volition loom large.