Strengthened Maritime Partnership on Regulatory Reform

The premiers of the Maritime provinces met in Charlottetown today, Nov. 6, to explore shared priorities and identify opportunities to work together to further the interests of the region.

Premier Stephen McNeil, Prince Edward Island Premier Wade MacLauchlan, and New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant committed to a shared approach to regulatory reform within the region and initiating an early, open dialogue with the federal government.

Premiers announced that their governments have entered into a partnership to reduce red tape and position the region for growth.

In March, Premier McNeil and Premier Gallant announced the creation of the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness to reduce the regulatory burden on citizens and businesses while protecting public health and safety, the environment, and employee and consumer interests. Today, Premier MacLauchlan announced that Prince Edward Island has joined this regional partnership to harmonize government regulation and improve the effectiveness of public services.

"Our shared commitment to tackling red tape is clear in the Maritimes," said Premier McNeil. "We have a significant and unique opportunity to take action to make our region more competitive by eliminating trade barriers, reducing cost and hassle for business, and improving government services."

The three premiers announced a series of actions designed to break down barriers between provinces and make it easier to do business in the Maritimes.

Under the joint office, the three premiers agreed to:

• adopt a Premiers' Charter that outlines a shared vision for regulation. This will help guide the development of new regulation and the assessment of existing regulations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
• common legislation to bring accountability and annual reporting to government regulation
• a common approach to measuring regulatory burden and its impact on businesses, government and citizens

"We welcome Prince Edward Island to this initiative," said Premier Gallant. "Many New Brunswick companies do business in our neighbouring provinces and contribute to the region's economy by creating jobs and growth. This is about making it easier for businesses that operate, or want to operate in all three provinces. By reducing and better aligning regulations in the three provinces, we will help create the conditions for economic growth and job creation."

The premiers also outlined specific actions they are taking to reduce the burden of regulation for businesses in the region:

• a common approach to procurement to eliminate differences and barriers between provinces
• elimination of differences in the kinds of records that employers need to keep on file
• the intent to move to a shared date of April 1 for future changes to minimum wage rates within the region

All actions have a shared goal to make it easier for businesses that operate, or want to operate, in all three provinces. More information can be found at http://novascotia.ca/regulatoryopportunity/regional-regulatory-reform.asp .

"When we combine our efforts, we can more effectively tackle common issues, such as regulatory burden, which is often cited as an impediment to our business community. We look forward to the same type of collaborative approach with Ottawa," said Premier MacLauchlan. "We recognize that strong partnerships, with our federal government and within our region, are critical to our continued growth and prosperity."

A strong partnership with the Government of Canada is a key element in strengthening the economy of the Maritime provinces. Premiers look forward to a collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the new federal government. By investing in strategic infrastructure, supporting population growth plans, strengthening the region's workforce, and partnering to address the unique health needs of Atlantic Canadians, the federal government can be a key partner in regional collaboration and provinces' strategies for growth.

The premiers will seek a meeting with the prime minister in the near future to discuss ways that federal and provincial governments can work together for the benefit of the Maritime provinces and all Canadians.