TILMA

:"This article refers to the trade agreement. For other meanings, see Tilma."

TILMA is the "Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement" between British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. The agreement was signed, without public consultation, on 28 April 2006, and provides a virtual economic union between the two provinces. It came into effect 1 April 2007. Other provinces are considering joining this agreement as well.

Under the General Rules of TILMA, Article 3 entitled “No Obstacles,” reads: “Each Party shall ensure that its measures do not operate to impair or restrict trade between or through the territory of the Parties, or investment or labour mobility between the Parties.”

TILMA supporters say that a similar clause is contained in a number of other agreements, including the national Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) signed in 1994; that British Columbia and Alberta have been committed to a “No Obstacles” clause for over ten years already. They point out that Article 3 addresses obstacles to the flow of goods, services and investment "across provincial borders", not obstacles to internal measures.

Critics of the Agreement compare it to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). They say it has potential to interfere with the ability of government to implement laws, and suggest that TILMA allows corporations and individuals to sue provincial governments.

A legal opinion commissioned by the Canadian Union of Public Employees states by imposing financial and other sanctions on the otherwise lawful acts of the province, municipalities and other public bodies, TILMA directly confront basic constitutional norms, including the rule of law and democracy. [http://www.cdhowe.org/pdf/backgrounder_106.pdf C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder 106] ] Groups expressing support for the Agreement include the [http://www.bcchamber.org/ British Columbia Chamber of Commerce] , the [http://www.cwf.ca/V2/main/ Canada West Foundation] , the [http://www.bcbc.com/ Business Council of British Columbia] , and the [http://www.conferenceboard.ca/ Conference Board of Canada] . These are all business-oriented organizations whose Boards of directors are composed primarily of various corporate officers, and whose contributors are, in majority, corporations. [http://www.cwf.ca/V2/files/Annual%20Report%202006.pdf CWF Annual Report] ] [http://www.bcbc.com/links/member_companies.asp BCBC Member companies] ] [http://www.conferenceboard.ca/about-cboc/AnnualReport2006en.pdf Conference Board Annual Report] ]

Both the governments of Alberta and British Columbia are consulting with credentialing bodies, municipalities and other stakeholders during the two-year transition period from April 1, 2007 - April 1, 2009 when the Agreement comes into full implementation.

External links

* [http://www.ecdev.gov.bc.ca/ProgramsAndServices/Trade/Joint_Trade_Agreement_April_2006.pdf Text of the agreement]
* [http://www.tilma.ca/ Official TILMA web site]
* [http://www.gov.bc.ca/ecdev/popt/media_room/bc_ab_trade_investment_mobility_agreement.htm Government of British Columbia TILMA page]
* [http://www.iir.gov.ab.ca/index.asp Government of Alberta Intergovernmental Relations page]
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Criticism

* [http://www.cupe.ca/tilma/shrybman_on_bill_1 TILMA unconstitutional, says top Lawyer]

* [http://www.canadians.org/DI/issues/TILMA/backgrounder.html Another Bad Deal: It’s time to kill the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement]
* [http://www.sfl.sk.ca/pdfs/Shrybman%20on%20TILMA.pdf Lawyer Steven Shrybman's Summary]
* [http://briarpatchmagazine.com/news/?p=366 Ralph’s Last Laugh: Inter-provincial trade deal ties the hands of government]

* [http://www.policyalternatives.ca/documents/Saskatchewan_Pubs/2006/TILMA.pdf Examining the Implications of TILMA for Saskatchewan]

* [http://policyalternatives.ca/Reports/2007/02/ReportsStudies1552/index.cfm?pa=BB736455 The Myth of Interprovincial Trade Barriers and TILMA's Alleged Economic Benefits]

* [http://www.stoptilma.com Collected Articles and Links about TILMA]

* [http://www.whytilma.ca Why TILMA?]

* [http://www.cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/060707.htm A one-hour radio broadcast on the potential impacts of TILMA on agriculture and food]

Notes