British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan signed the
New West Partnership on April 30, 2010. The agreement augments
the strong economic foundation of the West, increases
co-operation and fosters strong prosperity for the region, its
people and its businesses.
To further this relationship and build upon shared
strengths, the provinces entered into four agreements:
- The New West Partnership Trade Agreement -
a comprehensive economic agreement that
removes remaining barriers to trade, investment and labour
mobility between British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan,
creating an economic powerhouse of nine million people with
a combined GDP of more than $500 billion. Its obligations
are consistent with those in the Trade, Investment and
Labour Mobility Agreement signed by British Columbia and
Alberta in 2006. The agreement came into effect July 1,
2010. However, Saskatchewan has until July 1, 2013, to
implement it fully.
- New West Partnership International Cooperation
Agreement - an agreement that will see the
three provinces co-operate on trade and investment missions
to international markets, and share foreign market
intelligence to advance joint interests and increase
business competitiveness.
- New West Partnership Innovation Agreement
- an agreement that will enable provincial innovation
efforts to attract more investment, talent and innovation to
the West. The three provinces will work together to
co-ordinate provincial activities in research and
development, including maintaining and sharing information
and undertaking joint innovation projects or activities.
- New West Partnership Procurement Agreement
- an agreement that will allow the provinces to capitalize
on their combined buying power through jointly
procuring goods and services. This could include health
supplies or common government supplies (e.g., paper or
office supplies). It also calls for standardized
procurement templates and contracts.
If you have any additional questions about the New West
Partnership Trade Agreement, please contact us at
NWPTABC@gov.bc.ca.
Additional Information:
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