Experts testifying before a Commons committee have called for lowering interprovincial trade barriers, reforming Canadian laws on competition, and improving preparedness for the digital economy to boost the country’s competitiveness. The experts were invited by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, which has been meeting over the past few weeks to undertake a series of studies on the competitiveness in Canada. Interprovincial Trade Barriers Trevor Tombe, an associate professor at the University of Calgary, told the committee last week that interprovincial trade barriers have dragged down Canada’s national productivity, competitiveness, and economic prosperity. According to Tombe, while internal trade costs are not observable in a tangible way, the “tens of thousands of individually modest, but collectively significant differences in rules, regulations, standards, certifications,” have added costs to businesses operating across provincial boundaries. Examples can be seen in agriculture inspections, labeling requirements, or differences in provincial standards and certifications …