WATCH: Doug Ford and Wab Kinew announce interprovincial trade deal

VIDEO: Premier Doug Ford and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew met in Toronto May 14 to announce a new interprovincial trade deal and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Premiers Ford and Kinew signed an MOU to support the removal of barriers to trade between Ontario and Manitoba.

This signing follows the recent signings in support of free trade with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and the introduction of the Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act.

“Our two provinces already do approximately $19.5 billion of interprovincial trade every single year, but we can do better,” said Ford. “As neighbours and partners within Canada, Ontario and Manitoba can lead the way by creating new opportunities for goods, services and workers to move freely between our provinces.

Ontario recently tabled legislation to do away with all exceptions in the Canada Free Trade Agreement that protected certain goods and services.

Kinew said Manitoba is set to table similar legislation, and that the new deal “is about trust.”

“We trust that somebody who gets a red seal in Ontario, somebody who gets a professional designation in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, we trust that they’re gonna be able to do a great job if they come to Manitoba,” said Kinew.

“And we can guarantee that you can trust us as well, too, that when we send our tradespeople, we send our engineers, we send our best,” said Kinew.

Ontario is set to table its budget Thursday with Ford signaling it will include a lot of infrastructure spending and measures to stimulate the economy.

With Files from The Canadian Press.