Mr. Chair, I am honoured to rise in the House to discuss a very important issue today. In the recent election I heard loud and clear from my community, as many MPs did across the country, that interprovincial trade barriers must come down for the sake of our economy and the strength of Canada.
I want to congratulate the new minister on her role as the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade. Certainly, she has a lot of work on her hands. For example, many Canadians may not know, but it it is easier to ship to the United States than from province to province. In fact, all these interprovincial trade barriers add 8.3% to the cost of shipping by truck, which really amounts to $1.6 billion annually. Again, we are in a cost of living crisis in this country with the cost of food, goods and building supplies. A lot of this is as a result of our freight costs.
I would ask the minister if she can commit to harmonizing these trucking costs by Canada Day.