The premiers of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are scheduled to sign an agreement on Tuesday in both Fredericton and Halifax that they say will bring down inter-provincial trade barriers.

New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham and Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald are expected to tout it as a way to promote economic growth when they make the announcement at a morning event in Halifax and a noon event in Fredericton.

This deal comes as provincial governments have been talking for years about eliminating restrictions on trade between provinces, a subject that has been a major source of discussion at the last several premiers conferences.

These trade barriers hinder the shipping of some products but they can also restrict skilled workers from one province to be certified in another.

Each Canadian premier has agreed that provinces will eliminate all barriers to certification by April 2009.

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are expected to use the announcements to show they are moving ahead of the April deadline.

The two premiers are calling it a "Partnership Agreement on Regulation and the Economy."

Trucking is one focus

The agreement will mean truckers will no longer have to check in at weigh stations in both Amherst, N.S., and Salisbury, N.B., which are less than an hour apart.

The provinces will also establish a shared hotline for road conditions for truckers.

Further, the two provinces will use the same criteria to certify private security companies and licenced gas technicians.

The deal includes other provisions that will be revealed on Tuesday, and it allows additional items to be added later.

British Columbia and Alberta already have a broader internal trade pact that came into place on April 1, 2007.