Canada's premiers are set to wrap up their two-day meeting in New Brunswick today with a deal that will effectively double the amount of beer and alcohol that can be taken across provincial and territorial borders.
A provincial source familiar with the negotiations confirms a deal was struck late Thursday.
The deal will see a large increase in the personal limits in provinces such as New Brunswick, while provinces like Alberta and Manitoba currently have no limits.
The source said the final communique will also include agreement in areas including agriculture, transportation and occupational health and safety.
Meetings held in the scenic seaside town of St. Andrews on Thursday focused on trade issues, although the talks were upstaged by an announcement from Ontario Premier Doug Ford who says his province will intervene in Saskatchewan's court challenge of Ottawa's carbon tax plan.
Federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc chose to put an optimistic face on the developments, saying the Liberal government remains committed to working collaboratively with the provinces to deal with the challenge that climate change represents because it's part of growing the economy responsibly.
Ford also later joined Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister in calling for more help from the federal government in dealing with asylum seekers who cross their borders.
All three premiers want Ottawa to review its current policy, and they also called for full compensation for the "impacts to services resulting from the increase in non-point of entry border crossings.''