Here's Charles J. MacMillan (PDF), writing in the latest issue of Policy Options:
Internal political pressure on governments could push premiers and politicians toward more barriers, especially in areas like public procurement, industry subsidies and professional qualifications. (Ontario has more than 20 separate agreements on qualifications for health professionals, reducing the value of credentials received from other provinces.) Most national politicians have little idea how the federal government, using existing clauses in the Constitution on trade and economic matters, could take the provinces to court as a way of removing these nefarious policies, most of which are largely unknown by the public and poorly understood by industry groups. Studies of Canadian productivity and of the lower performance by industries as compared with those in neighbouring American states illustrate that on trade, economies of scale and learning from foreign customers do count. Atlantic Canada illustrates this national challenge, with 11 separate dairy operations across four provinces and a population of only two million, but what shows in small provinces is also the case in big provinces; the only difference is that it isn’t so obvious.
Here's Gov. Gen Michaëlle Jean, reading today's Speech from the Throne:
Better positioning Canada to compete for investment and market opportunities will require action at home. A fragmented regulatory environment for internal trade and commerce has for too long restricted the flow of labour and investment across the country. Our Government will work with the provinces to remove barriers to internal trade, investment and labour mobility by 2010.
Anyone know of an inventory or detailed description of these barriers? I know of a few but if anyone has more details about, for example, dentists licensed by Ontario who can't set up shop in Lethbridge, I'd like to pursue this further.