PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE: TILMA

There is a new labour agreement between BC & AB that the SaskParty and some business leaders are endorsing, that I personally have issues with. Much like our "beloved" NAFTA agreement, it will negatively impact the lives of Saskatchewan citizens in favour of business perogatives from outside the province. There are public discussions on TILMA (Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement ) in Regina and Saskatoon this month, and I urge each and every one of you to attend one, or do some reading. The largest point in the debate is that TILMA seems to be beneficial for business at the expense of public interest. Become educated now, before this agreement is brought to bear on Saskatchewan and YOUR life.

Entire Article here
Excerpt:
In April 2006, without public consultation or legislative debate, the premiers of Alberta and British Columbia signed an unprecedented inter-provincial free trade deal called the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA). This deal extends privileges similar to those in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to corporations and individuals, allowing them to sue provincial governments and their official agencies for any regulation deemed harmful to investment (i.e. profits). Under TILMA, even provincial or municipal policies designed to protect the environment and public health are vulnerable to attack from corporate lawsuits.

TILMA creates a legally binding process for parties to the agreement as well as private individuals to challenge:
* Government programs and regulations if they “restrict or impair” investment (Article 3)
* Regulations in one province that are different from those in another (Article 5.1)
* The establishment of new, stricter regulations (Article 5.3)
* Initiatives by one province that the other does not agree with (Article 7.2)

TILMA disputes will be arbitrated by independent panels with the power to penalize governments with fines as high as $5 million for violating the agreement, and governments can be hit with repeated complaints against the same program or regulation. Gary Mar, the cabinet minister responsible for negotiating TILMA for Alberta, says that its dispute resolution process is “everything Canadian business asked for,” and that it means TILMA “is backed by some very big teeth.”

Another article concerning the public discussions held in Regina and Saskatoon this week:
Excerpt:
After a week of public hearings in Regina, the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on the Economy has moved to Saskatoon. Fortunately, CUPE was able to import Steven Shrybman for some expert testimony. Luckily, he wasn’t caught up in any “inter-provincial barriers” on his way from Ottawa. Some of his testimony was reported in today’s Leader-Post:
Ottawa-based trade lawyer Steven Shrybman, who was hired by CUPE Saskatchewan to analyse the agreement, said TILMA favours private holdings over public interests.
In his condemnation of the agreement, Shrybman said TILMA sets the stage for deregulation and privatization. The enforcement clause would also create a system where businesses in other provinces could invoke a review process whenever they felt their interests weren’t met, he said.
“If you took out the enforcement aspect, no one would be interested in TILMA,” he said.
The lawyer said TILMA would open the door for private health care in Saskatchewan. Other public interests would also be jeopardized by the agreement, he said.
While TILMA contains provisions that would protect labour groups, CUPE Saskatchewan president Tom Graham said inclusion in the deal could have a negative effect for all Saskatchewan residents.
“We are citizens of the province as well as working people,” Graham said. “It concerns us that a business or an individual could decide how we’re going to live.”
The standing committee’s report to the province is expected on June 29.