Perth-Wellington MP John Nater has been appointed to the “shadow cabinet” of new Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer.
Nater took up his new position as official Opposition shadow secretary for interprovincial trade and the sharing economy when the House of Commons resumed sitting on Sept. 18.
“For many businesses in Canada it is easier to export to a foreign country than it is to neighbouring provinces,” said Nater in a Sept. 14 press release.
“For example, it remains illegal in Canada to carry beer across provincial borders. In this new role I will advocate for reduced trade barriers within Canada and work to make running a small business in Canada easier.”
Nater is also planning to monitor negotiations surrounding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Mexico.
He added Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and her team must focus on “preventing tariffs from being imposed, and protecting the dispute resolution mechanism within the deal.”
Nater says he spent the summer attending events and meetings with small business owners, agricultural producers, physicians, seniors, tradespeople, and arts and media representatives across the riding.
“Over the course of the summer hundreds of constituents expressed their concern with the Liberal government’s proposed tax changes to the Canadian Controlled Private Corporation (CCPC) framework,” he said.
“Small business owners worked hard to build their businesses and they collectively employ thousands of people in our region.
“These changes will put many businesses in Perth-Wellington at risk.”
