Indeed, one might say a historic failure, the kind that floods cities and brings epochs to a close. Beyond the basic principle of non-discrimination, moreover, there are pledges to harmonize provincial regulations with one another, where the differences between them needlessly impede trade. Which would be fine, if there were not almost as many exceptions to the rules as there are rules. Even the chapters devoted to freeing trade are riddled with limitations, caveats and exemptions, some perfectly sensible — regulation of safety, for example — some simply contradictions in terms. That is how it is done in any normal federation — not to say within the EU, which isn’t even a federation.

Source: National Post April 08, 2017 00:33 UTC