Find Your MLA: www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm Send the following letter, or write one of your own: I am writing to you regarding the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) between British Columbia and Alberta, which came into effect on April 1, 2007. This agreement will place serious limits on the ability of democratically elected bodies in local communities to govern. Despite the detrimental impact of the agreement on the ability of governments to base decisions on the best interests and the will of the majority in their communities, the deal was not debated in the legislature. The people of British Columbia did elect a majority Liberal government in the last election, but no one voted to have major decisions made without legislative debate and public dialogue. The government has betrayed the trust of the people who elected it by failing to bring this agreement through a proper democratic process. The Council of Canadians says that "TILMA will dramatically impact a municipality’s ability to draft or maintain any regulations that are deemed by a corporation or private individual to “impair or restrict” their investment. Through TILMA, such “investors” are granted the right to launch lawsuits for up to $5-million in compensation for any regulation that they feel hurts their bottom line. Since all regulations can been seen in this light, TILMA throws the whole definition of local government into question, threatening to seriously undermine municipal autonomy and hand considerable power over to the private sector". You can be sure no one voted for that! Also from the Council of Canadians: "Until now, the B.C. and Alberta governments have been relying on a single report from the Conference Board of Canada to justify this sweeping new free trade agreement. This report has been seriously discredited by economists at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Of note is the CCPA’s attack on the statement that TILMA will lead to almost $5-billion in new revenue for B.C. alone. That figure is much higher than the predicted benefits of NAFTA, partly because it is the result of a simple arithmetic error on behalf of the Conference Board, which accidentally doubled an already bloated figure. The importance of an independent review of TILMA was also emphasized earlier this year in a study by the city solicitor in Saskatoon, who determined that if Saskatchewan were to sign on to TILMA, it would have serious consequences for “local choice.” A link to this report is posted at the bottom of this letter." I am asking that you call for an independent review, work to have the agreement reversed, and that you vote against Bill 17, the legislation which will authorize the dispute process, when it comes to the legislature for its final readings. Please read and consider the material at the following links: The report from Saskatoon’s solicitor: www.saskatoon.ca/org/clerks_office/council/agendas/fa_council_260207.pdf The CCPA reports on the TILMA may be found at its website: www.policyalternatives.ca And the Council of Canadians has compiled several backgrounders and a host of other information on its own website: www.canadians.org/DI/issues/TILMA/index.html As a voting member of your constituency, I am urging you to take action on this issue. Sincerely, Send a letter to your MP as well. The letter has been revised for MPs below. A list of MPs with their email addresses may be found on the Council of Canadians site at www.canadians.org/action/contact_reps.html Or, you can go to the Canadian Government site at www.canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html#mp Mail may be sent postage-free to any Member of Parliament at the following address: (name of MP) House of Commons Parliament Buildings Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 I am writing to you regarding the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) between British Columbia and Alberta, which came into effect on April 1, 2007. This agreement will place serious limits on the ability of democratically elected bodies in local communities to govern. Despite the detrimental impact of the agreement on the ability of governments to base decisions on the best interests and the will of the majority in their communities, the deal was not debated in the legislature. The people of British Columbia did elect a majority Liberal government in the last election, but no one voted to have major decisions made without legislative debate and public dialogue. The government has betrayed the trust of the people who elected it by failing to bring this agreement through a proper democratic process. The Council of Canadians says that "TILMA will dramatically impact a municipality’s ability to draft or maintain any regulations that are deemed by a corporation or private individual to “impair or restrict” their investment. Through TILMA, such “investors” are granted the right to launch lawsuits for up to $5-million in compensation for any regulation that they feel hurts their bottom line. Since all regulations can been seen in this light, TILMA throws the whole definition of local government into question, threatening to seriously undermine municipal autonomy and hand considerable power over to the private sector". You can be sure no one voted for that! Also from the Council of Canadians: "Until now, the B.C. and Alberta governments have been relying on a single report from the Conference Board of Canada to justify this sweeping new free trade agreement. This report has been seriously discredited by economists at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Of note is the CCPA’s attack on the statement that TILMA will lead to almost $5-billion in new revenue for B.C. alone. That figure is much higher than the predicted benefits of NAFTA, partly because it is the result of a simple arithmetic error on behalf of the Conference Board, which accidentally doubled an already bloated figure. The importance of an independent review of TILMA was also emphasized earlier this year in a study by the city solicitor in Saskatoon, who determined that if Saskatchewan were to sign on to TILMA, it would have serious consequences for “local choice.” A link to this report is posted at the bottom of this letter." Although I realize this is a provincial matter, it could have far-reaching effects across the country. I am asking that you work to raise awareness of the dangers of this sort of agreement, educate the people of your riding, and support those who are working to have this agreement reversed. We would also like to stop Bill 17, which will authorize the dispute process, and has had one reading as of the end of the spring session. Please read and consider the material at the following links: The report from Saskatoon’s solicitor: www.saskatoon.ca/org/clerks_office/council/agendas/fa_council_260207.pdf The CCPA reports on the TILMA may be found at its website: www.policyalternatives.ca And the Council of Canadians has compiled several backgrounders and a host of other information on its own website: www.canadians.org/DI/issues/TILMA/index.html As a voting member of your riding, I am urging you to take action on this issue. Sincerely,