November 8, 2006

Dear activists,

Please see article from November 7, 2006 Halifax Chronicle Herald which suggests that the BC-Alberta Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) may be expanding to the Atlantic provinces and Quebec.

The Chronicle Herald reports that Elizabeth Beale, president and CEO of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, said this week, "I think this is a very useful model for us to look at here in Atlantic Canada."

The article also reports that a senior official with the Nova Scotia government is "chairing a committee of civil servants that is using the B.C.-Alberta accord as a template to draft a similar agreement for the region that would also include Quebec" and that there will be "a draft document to deliver to cabinet for consideration in about six months."

The Council of Canadians believes that the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement is a dangerous new aspect to the deep integration agenda with the United States and must be stopped.

Already at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region conference this past July in Edmonton, representatives of north-western US states and British Columbia and Alberta committed to explore the possibility of expanding TILMA throughout the PNWER region, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Moreover, as analyst Ellen Gould reports, the United States Trade Representative has made repeated complaints about differences in provincial regulations in Canada. TILMA can be seen as a "made-to-please-Bush" attempt to address this U.S. concern.