Say this for the Canadian government: it knows how to keep up with the times.
Two years ago, Foreign Affairs Canada used BuzzFeed lists to criticize its enemies and promote its interests.
Now, a Senate committee on trade and commerce has made a clever list of Canada's "Top 10 Weirdest Trade Barriers."
The list, released Tuesday, cites issues such as traffic restrictions, carbon taxes and a ban on cheese shipping.
It's a clever and informative report, delivered in an engaging package that was far simpler (and, frankly, better) than simply releasing giant blocks of text (though you can read it that way too).
The report isn't quite delivered in a full BuzzFeed format. So below you'll find "Simpsons" GIFs added to give the complete experience.
Here are 10 of the weirdest barriers to trade, as cited by the Senate:
The report takes issue with the fact that certain trucking patterns can only be driven during the day in Alberta ... and at night in B.C. "Insomniacs rejoice," it says.
Truck drivers have to take fuel-efficient tires off their vehicles at the borders of certain provinces because they're not permitted.
Only four provinces allow wine to be shipped directly to consumers. But provincial liquor boards also charge heavy markups on booze — in Ontario, it's 66 per cent.
The report finds it "un-brie-lievable" that Quebec cheeses can't be shipped out of the province.
Parts of Canada have varying beer bottle sizes. That means brewers need to drop cash on different production systems if they want to sell their product across Canada.
Milk container and dairy creamer sizes also vary, forcing companies to double up their production.
Provinces have different standards for reducing carbon emissions, and that can mean that it's more expensive to operate a business in one place than another. Quebec and Ontario, for example, have cap-and-trade systems, and Manitoba is about to adopt one. Meanwhile, B.C. and Alberta have carbon taxes.
A business headquartered in one province has to register to operate in another one. Only New Brunswick and Nova Scotia recognize each other's business registrations.
Individual provinces have different standards for grading maple syrup. A sweet rating in one province doesn't necessarily mean the same sweetness elsewhere.
It's the same for organic food. Different provinces have different ways of deciding how organic food really is.
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