More TILMA leaps of logic

The Canada West Foundation today released an economic profile and forecast for BC. Most of the report is numbers-based, and it looks at a wide variety of topic areas. But in the conclusion is this chestnut:

Public policy developments such as the implementation of the BC-Alberta Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) will also contribute to a positive future. The agreement will give businesses and workers in both provinces greater access to a larger range of opportunities, creating Canada’s second-largest economic region (after Ontario). The TILMA has special provisions for transportation, energy, labour mobility, business and corporate registration, and procurement. By reducing all barriers to trade and labour mobility across the region, there is good potential for increased business opportunities and efficiency gains in BC.

Nothing in the report prior to the conclusion could be considered evidence in support of this “conclusion”. Like all TILMA support it is simply assumed that there will be benefits, based on the logic of free trade (even though we already have free trade in Canada). No numbers, not even a single anecdote that would suggest that TILMA is solving real problems.