Public Pressure Forces Liberals to Drop Vote on TILMA Enforcement Bill: Bill 17 Fails to Pass in the Legislature Once Again Fierce opposition to the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) has forced the legislature to drop Bill 17 for the second time this year. Bill 17 was first introduced by the Liberals in the spring session. This legislation would allow the government to pay out public money to investors in a private court set up under TILMA. TILMA is a top-down trade agreement between BC and Alberta that will dramatically impact the ability of municipalities and school boards to maintain any regulations that have been passed locally but are deemed by an investor or business to 'impair or restrict' their investment. The corporate investment model set up in the controversial TILMA allows investors to sue governments for upwards of $5 million. "The Minister of Economic Development has been unable to justify the need for the Agreement to British Columbians. It's an agreement which will result in the imposition of massive deregulation and policy harmonization for local government," said Carleen Pickard, BC/Yukon Regional Organizer for the Council of Canadians. Signed in secret, legislators were denied any debate on TILMA. Citizens across BC have been collecting petition signatures demanding a debate on TILMA instead of simply passing Bill 17 which gives the agreement a binding legal enforcement mechanism for the secret panel rulings. "TILMA is a sharp contrast to the pre-election promise of the BC Liberals to be the most open and transparent government in Canada. Dropping Bill 17 shows that the government is backing away as a result of the public's frustration with how they've rolled out TILMA," said Pickard. The Council of Canadians calls for the government to engage the public in meaningful consultations on TILMA. For more information: Carleen Pickard, B.C. Regional Organizer, Council of Canadians 604.340.2455. More information on TILMA can be found at: www.canadians.org/tilma Demand a legislative debate on TILMA. Fill out a petition online at: www.thepetitionsite.com/1/bring-m212-forward-for-a-legislative-debate-on-tilma