ACTION ALERT: The Government of Alberta must not pass Bill 1

April 16, 2008

Dear chapter activists,

Following the Speech from the Throne yesterday, Premier Ed Stelmach introduced Bill 1, the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement Implementation Statutes Amendment Act.

The bill paves the way for the full implementation of the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA), the controversial inter-provincial trade agreement signed between British Columbia and Alberta, without any public consultation or legislative debate, in April, 2006.

TILMA allows corporations and powerful individuals to challenge any provincial or municipal government measure they feel ‘restricts or impairs’ their investment (i.e. their profits). Even measures designed to protect public health and the environment can be brought to an unelected NAFTA-like dispute panel with the authority to impose penalties as high as $5 million on the offending province and/or municipality.

TAKE ACTION

Bill 1 creates a window of opportunity for those concerned to inform our MLA’s about our discontent with TILMA. By blocking Bill 1 we can send a strong message to Premier Ed Stelmach that corporate ambitions will not trump our democratic rights.

To find the contact information for your Member of the Legislative Assembly, simply go to http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_home. Premier Ed Stelmach can be sent a message through the Premier’s website at http://premier.alberta.ca/contact/.

Please contact your MLA and express your concern about our government leaders furthering TILMA without the appropriate public consultation or legislative debate it requires.

DRAFT MESSAGE

Dear Premier Stelmach/ Your MLA

I am deeply concerned with the proposal of Bill 1, titled the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement Implementation Statutes Amendment Act and I am calling on you to stop any further motions to support this bill.  

In light of the fact that TILMA was signed in April 2006 without any public input or legislative debate it is irresponsible for the Alberta government to pass legislation that further entrenches TILMA without releasing the full text for a thorough public review.

Organizations like the Council of Canadians, CUPE & the Parkland Institute have exposed TILMA for undermining the authority of provinces and municipalities to uniquely protect the public interest on issues of healthcare, education, the environment, and the economy.

A recent legal opinion for the municipalities of Saskatchewan confirms many of our fears about the impact TILMA will have on the ability of communities to develop as they want to. It removes the democratic space cities and towns need to grow and prosper.

TILMA allows private companies to legally challenge publicly made laws, regulations, policies and programs and receive compensation of up to $5 million from the public tax base. For example if an Albertan community wants to impose a junk food ban in their schools to promote the health of their children, that ban would not withstand a challenge under TILMA because any company providing such products with a business license in BC could claim that such a ban "restricts" its investment - which it clearly does.

Bill 1 must not be passed and the Government of Alberta must release the full text of TILMA to allow for a significant debate on the future of Albertan communities and the civil rights we have as citizens to decide our own futures.

Sincerely,

<your name>

 

Sheila Muxlow is the Prairies Organizer for the Council of Canadians.