Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA)
When the Fraser Institute, the BC’s business lobby and the BC Liberals all line up and say we’ve got a great deal for BC, you know it’s probably not true.
The BC/Alberta Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) came into effect on April 1, 2007, and is being described by the BC Liberals as a boon for BC’s economy.
But if it’s such a good deal why was there absolutely no consultation with the labour movement, with school boards and municipal governments, with the citizens of BC.
Under the guise of ensuring labour mobility, the BC Liberals entered into secret discussions with the government of Alberta that culminated in the announcement of a Trade deal in 2006.
What’s the deal really about?
Some suggest it’s no different in terms of its implications than the current agreement on Internal Trade, except that the dispute resolution mechanism has more teeth.
Others point out that this further driving a policy of deep integration with the US.
There’s also no doubt that this is part of the BC Liberal’s deregulation dream. We all remember the government’s arbitrary goal of cutting one-third of all regulations. Regulations that protected the environment, protected workers’ health and safety, and protected public safety.
Labour mobility
One of TILMA’s stated goals is to eliminate laws that "restrict or impair trade, investment or labour mobility".
If the provincial government was really worried about labour mobility, then why have they completely gutted BC’s apprenticeship program?
The labour movement strongly supports the federal Red Seal program that sets national standards for trades. Instead of embracing these standards we saw the government completely de-regulate apprenticeship, forget Red Seal standards we were entering a new era of modular training.
The best way to improve labour mobility—reinvest in a public apprenticeship program that trains workers to red seal standards.
Occupations impacted by TILMA aren’t limited to the trades, and they don’t cover everybody. Doctors for example aren’t listed, but nurses are.
Local governments
The provincial government claims labour and environmental standards and social policy are exempt from TILMA provision, but they make no such claim when it comes to land use issues and the ability of governments to engage in procurement strategies that not only promote local jobs but ethical purchasing.
Local governments, according to the agreement, must provide "open and non-discriminatory access" for tenders to anyone in both provinces. (Thresholds where TILMA kicks in: goods’ purchases, $10,000; services, $75,000; construction, $100,000.)
If an Alberta developer doesn’t like local zoning rules, can he launch a complaint, and seek compensation from the province of BC, yes.
Are the recent gains made by the local labour council to ensure the city of Vancouver implements an ethical purchasing policy at risk? According to TILMA these improvements may be under threat.
Requiring contractors to hire locally on taxpayer funded construction projects. It’s also open for challenge under TILMA.
What about programs like Bladerunners, a program that provides training and job placement for marginalized youth. It exists because governments said this is a social imperative that we must leverage from publicly funded construction.
After TILMA, governments can’t say that anymore.
With this agreement would Bladerunners exist?
Race to the bottom
Whether it’s the Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, or even Softwood Lumber, we know that the big promises corporations and politicians made to workers and communities, never materialized.
Are we better off? CEO’s are doing better, today they get 240 times the amount the average Canadian worker earns.
Is the labour movement opposed to trade deals. No we just want to see deals that raise standards, not lower them’ we want to engage in a race to the top, not the bottom.
Instead of promising to harmonize our rules and regulations, or making commitment to remove any barriers corporations don’t like, why won’t our governments commit to adopting the best standards for workers, the environment and local decision making, not the worst.
TILMA Links and Resources
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