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New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador sign agreement to knock down trade barriers

  • The Canadian Press

  • Canadian Press

  • April 24, 2025

Andrew Furey, premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Susan Holt, premier of New Brunswick, sign a memorandum of understanding between the two provinces on Thursday, April 24, 2025, in the lobby of the Confederation Building in St. John's, N.L. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

ST. JOHN'S -- The premiers of New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador signed a commitment today to consider how both provinces can knock down labour and trade barriers.

The country's two Liberal premiers announced the agreement in St. John's, N.L., saying their goal is to allow workers and goods certified in one province to be given the same clearance in the other.

Andrew Furey, Newfoundland and Labrador's outgoing premier, said the memorandum of understanding will allow officials in both provinces to start discussing changes "where they make sense."

For example, he said rules requiring Newfoundland and Labrador seafood processing plants to favour locally caught fish are not up for discussion.

Other provinces, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Ontario, have entered into similar agreements to encourage an interprovincial flow of goods and workers as the country faces economic threats from the United States.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said today she is hoping to strike a similar arrangement with Quebec Premier Francois Legault.

This report by was first published April 24, 2025.