Speak out against Tilma urgent

Here is an easy (but urgent, by Thursday, June 14) way to take action to express your concern about TILMA. (Read the Council of Canadians COC backgrounder on TILMA  and Fact Sheet.

Here's what I recently received as pass along for your consideration and action. I enclose below a cut and paste letter based on the COC information, which you can modify and send yourself.

A new report on TILMA prepared for city councilors by a staff member was on the city council's agenda this recently. Due to requests from concerned citizens, at that meeting it was decided to postpone discussion so that those who wanted to could speak to this item. If you live in Vancouver and are interested in taking action on Thursday, June 14 by speaking to council you can email cc@vancouver.ca. You can also email your thoughts about the Agreement to this address: mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca

Read the 10 page report In the report, there is a push for the city to take an active role in the UBCM negotiation process to allow for exemptions from the Agreement. In highlighting some of the negative implications of the Agreement it was stated that TILMA, "may involve potential restrictions on City Council's powers to local autonomy, and/or increased administrative costs..."

Another city has also recently filed a second report on TILMA due to public debate. This report from Regina follows up the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association analysis which encourages councilors to oppose the province joining the Agreement. To read this full report

Despite the lack of democratic debate involved in signing TILMA, both provinces are moving along with implementing enforcement mechanisms.

In BC, Bill 17 has not been passed into law by the Legislative Assembly this spring because the Government has left six bills until the next session. The proposed legislation amends the act which allows judgments by courts outside of BC to be enforced. The bill from Alberta draws from a previous bill on the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) and alters it to become a TILMA enforcement mechanism. I have posted the legislation that is being proposed in both provinces in order to enforce TILMA's dispute resolution process.

Bill 17in British Columbia:

Bill 38 in Alberta:

Here's a sample letter:

Dear Mayor and Council,

Please oppose TILMA: the B.C.-Alberta free trade pact puts investors first and the public last

I believe that the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA), will have a devastating effect on local democracy, public health and the environment. While currently confined to Western Canada, provincial governments in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and the Maritimes have all shown an interest in signing on. This makes TILMA a fight we have to wage locally, provincially and nationally.

TILMA was signed by the premiers of Alberta and B.C., without public consultation or legislative debate, in April 2006. The agreement allows corporations and individuals to sue provincial governments for any provincial or municipal government measure they feel "restricts or impairs" their investment (i.e. their profits). Under TILMA, even measures designed to protect the environment and public health are vulnerable to attack from corporate lawsuits with compensation penalties as high as $5-million.

I urge you, in your important role as Mayor and City Councilors, to challenge and oppose this agreement and put the public good and Canadian values before private, commercial gain,

Thank you for your consideration,

YOUR NAME