A New Prescription: Can the BC-Alberta TILMA Resuscitate Internal Trade in Canada?

Macmillan, Kathleen and Grady, Patrick (2007): A New Prescription: Can the BC-Alberta TILMA Resuscitate Internal Trade in Canada? Published in: C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder No. No.106 (October 2007): pp. 1-11.

Abstract

Interprovincial trade barriers are a drag on Canadian productivity and send an embarrassing message to international investors.Despite some past progress in reducing them, they remain an irritant to our economic union. Trade liberalization as pursued by Alberta and British Columbia in the TILMA is a model that Ottawa and the provinces should pursue.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Canadian Agreement on Internal Trade,Alberta-British Columbia Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement
• Subjects: F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F13 - Trade Policy ; International Trade Organizations; F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F14 - Empirical Studies of Trade; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R11 - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

References

British Columbia. 2006. Ministry of Economic Development. “Joint British Columbia-Alberta Agreement.” Available at website: http://www.gov.bc.ca/ecdev/popt/media_room/bc_ab_trade_investment_mobility_agreement .htm.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce. 2004. Obstacles to Free Trade in Canada: A Study on Internal Trade Barriers. Ottawa. November. Available at website: http://www.chamber.ca/cmslib/general/InternalTrade041108.pdf.

Certified General Accountants Association of Canada. 2006. “Making Trade Dispute Resolution in Canada Work: Certified General Accountants’ Experience with Canada’s Agreement on Internal Trade.” Vancouver. April.

Charles River Associates. 2003. “Securities Enforcement in Canada: The Effect of Multiple Regulators.” Research study prepared for the Wise Persons’ Committee. Ottawa. October 21. Available at website: http://www.wise averties.ca/reports/WPC_10.pdf.

Committee to Review the Structure of Securities Regulation in Canada (Wise Persons Committee). 2003. It’s Time. Ottawa. Available at website: http://www.wiseaverties.ca/finalreport_en.html.

COMPAS. 2004. “Interprovincial Trade Barriers: Seriously Damaging to the Economy and Standard of Living and Almost as Harmful as Canada-U.S. Barriers.”

BDO Dunwoody/Chamber Weekly CEO/ Business Leader Poll. Financial Post, September 13.

Conference Board of Canada. 2006. Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts: The Effect of Barriers to Competition on Canadian Productivity. Ottawa. May.

Copeland, Brian R. 1998. “Interprovincial Barriers to Trade: A Review of the Evidence.” Paper prepared for the British Columbia Ministry of Employment and Investment. Victoria, BC. January.

Council of the Federation. 2006a. “Internal Trade Workplan: Progress Report.” Ottawa. January.

———. 2006b. “Progress Report Letter following CIT Meeting.” Ottawa. October 3.

———. 2007. “Premiers strengthen trade.” News release. Ottawa. August 10.

Crawford Panel on a Single Canadian Securities Regulator. 2006. Blueprint for a Canadian Securities Commission. Toronto. June 7. Available at website: http://www.crawfordpanel.ca/Crawford_Panel_final_paper.pdf.

Flaherty, Jim. 2006. Speech by the Minister of Finance to the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, June 19. Available at website: http://www.fin.gc.ca/news06/06 025_2e.html.

Hart, Michael. 2005. “Great Wine, Better Cheese: How Canada Can Escape the Trap of Agricultural Supply Management.” C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder 90. Toronto: C.D. Howe Institute. April.

Herman, Lawrence L. 2007. “American Corn and Canadian Trade Actions: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back.” C.D. Howe Institute e-Brief. Toronto: C.D. Howe Institute. April 5. Available at website: http://www.cdhowe.org/pdf/ebrief_42.pdf.

Internal Trade Secretariat. 2006. Interim Agreement on Internal Trade in Agriculture and Food Goods. Ottawa.

———. 2007. An Overview of the Internal Trade Agreement. Ottawa. Available at website: http://www.ait aci.ca/index_en/ait.htm.

International Monetary Fund. 2007. Canada: Article IV Consultation. Report 07/51. Washington, DC: IMF. February. Available at website: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2007/cr0751.pdf.

Krugman, Paul R., and Maurice Obstfeld. 1997. International Economics: Theory and Policy, 4th ed. Don Mills, ON: Addison-Wesley.

C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder 11 MARCAN. 2007. “Reporting on Government Procurement.” Ottawa. Available at website: http://www.marcan.net/index_en/procure.htm.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2007. Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2007. Paris: OECD. Available at website: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/48/22/38088884.pdf.

Saskatchewan. 2007. Legislative Assembly. Standing Committee on the Economy. Enquiry, Pursuant to Rule 146 (2) Regarding the State of Internal Trade in Saskatchewan. Regina. June 28. Available at website: http://www.legassembly.sk.ca/committees/Economy/Reports/ECO%209th%20Report%20(Jun e%202007).pdf.

Trebilcock, Michael J. 2001. “The Supreme Court and Strengthening the Conditions for Effective Competition in the Canadian Economy.” Canadian Bar Review 80 (1-2): 542–604.

Weir, Erin, and Marc Lee. 2007. “The Myth of Inter-provincial Trade Barriers and TILMA’s Alleged Economic Impacts.” Canadian Labour Congress Research Paper 43. Ottawa. February 26. Available at website: http://www.canadianlabour.ca/updir/tilmaEnglish.pdf.

Whalley, John. 1983. “Induced Distortions of Interprovincial Activity: An Overview of Issues” and “The Impact of Federal Policies on Interprovincial Activity.” In Federalism and the Canadian Economic Union, edited by Michael J. Trebilcock, J. Robert S. Pritchard, Thomas J. Courchene, and John Whalley. Toronto: Ontario Economic Council. ———. 1995. “Interprovincial Barriers to Trade and Endogenous Growth Considerations.” Paper prepared for the Industry Canada Conference on Endogenous Growth and Policy Design. Ottawa. March.

Whalley, John, and Irene Trela. 1986. Regional Aspects of Confederation. Collected Research Studies of the Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.