British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta launched the New West Partnership today, creating what they call “an economic powerhouse of 9 million people with a combined GDP of more than $550 billion”.
“This represents an historic step forward for western provinces, as they
work together to provide economic leadership,” said Saskatchewan
Premier Brad Wall. “We are combining the strength of our three vibrant
economies and working together to create lasting prosperity. Our three
provinces have created a model that cements the West as the economic
powerhouse of Canada.”
The New West Partnership aims to create Canada’s largest interprovincial
barrier-free trade and investment market, and see the three westernmost
provinces work together to the benefit of workers, businesses and
investors in all three provinces.
“In today’s global economy we need to break down barriers and open trade
within our borders to build a stronger Canada,” British Columbia
Premier Gordon Campbell said. “The New West Partnership creates a strong
economic alliance in Western Canada that will build stronger
connections between our provinces and improve our competitiveness.”
The three provinces signed the New West Partnership at the third joint
British Columbia-Alberta-Saskatchewan Cabinet meeting in Regina.
Building on shared strengths, the New West Partnership contains four
components:
barriers to trade, investment and labour mobility, further enhancing the
competitiveness of Canada’s Western Provinces.
• An international cooperation agreement, that will see the three
provinces cooperate on trade and investment missions to international
markets, and share foreign market intelligence to advance joint
interests and increase business competitiveness.
• An innovation agreement, which will enable provincial innovation
efforts to be coordinated to better attract investment and talent,
helping build critical mass of innovation activities in the West.
• A procurement agreement that will enable the provinces to capitalize
on their combined buying power through the joint procurement of goods
and services.
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