Closed-door deal by Gordon Campbell and Ralph Klein prevents democratically elected governments from challenging corporate authority
Ottawa (20 November 2006) -- The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) says a trade deal recently signed by British Columbia and Alberta undermines the authority of elected provincial governments, now and in the future.
In a new report, the 340,000-member union is calling for a full public debate and consultation on the wide-ranging deal before it goes into effect.
On April 28, the pro-business governments of Gordon Campbell and Ralph Klein signed the British Columbia-Alberta Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA).
The deal is slated to become law in April 2007. It has been promoted as an effort to eliminate internal trade barriers between provinces by harmonizing all regulations and giving enormous power to investors to challenge, before a 'disputes panel', all existing and future provincial government regulations.
Other provinces lining up?
The agreement is designed to allow other provinces and territories and even the federal government to also sign on.
The Minister from BC says: “Already Saskatchewan is looking to meet and consider signing on to this agreement, and there are at least three other jurisdictions that are actively kicking the tires as to whether or not they should sign on as well.”
Ontario premier McGuinty has strongly indicated that he wants Ontario to join.
Signed behind closed doors
"This is one of the most radical trade and investment deals ever signed," says Larry Brown, NUPGE's secretary-treasurer.
One commentator has said “Within the TILMA are the seeds of a true economic union, an erasing of the provincial boundary for all purposes except voting and the color of the license plate.” Macleans magazine approvingly says the new deal will “effectively erase the border” between the two provinces.”
"It's shocking that this deal was negotiated and signed behind closed doors with no public consultation and no legislative debate." says Brown.
The NUPGE report, called Red Alert: It's time to stop waltzing with TILMA, calls for full public debate and consultation before anything so sweeping and potentially limiting of provincial powers is adopted.
"Politicians in B.C. and Alberta are trying to slip a fast one past the citizens of their provinces," says Brown.
"But the citizens of Alberta and B.C., and in every province where governments are considering TILMA, have a democratic right to be involved in this issue, and the governments of these two provinces must be made to account for this very problematic trade deal."
The NUPGE report and a copy of the text of the agreement are available at the links below. NUPGE
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