Booze, Cigarettes, and Constitutional Dust-Ups: Canada's Quest for Interprovincial Free Trade

Gerard Comeau, a retiree living in rural New Brunswick, never thought his booze run would turn him into a Canadian hero. In 2012, after Comeau had driven to Quebec to purchase cheaper beer and crossed back into his home province, police officers participating in a low-stakes sting operation tailed and detained him, confiscated his haul, and levied a fine of less than $300.

Countries routinely engage in trade wars and erect barriers to protect domestic industries from foreign competition. Com...