Welcome to Elizabeth May’s parliamentary week in review!
This weekly e-newsletter recaps her work in Parliament when the House is in session. At the links below, you can watch videos of Elizabeth’s interventions in the House, keep up with her media releases, and read articles she has written.
The House of Commons continued to sit until midnight this week, which has meant more long days for Elizabeth. However, her resolve to stay in the House and speak to each issue on behalf of her constituents has remained.
This newsletter covers her extensive, and now often late-night, work in the House from June 9, 2017 to June 16, 2017.
Key Moments in the House
Question Period
– Will Canada stand with Germany and insist that the Paris accord be in the G20 final declaration?
Debate
– Addressing the injustices, embedded racism, and deeply discriminatory aspects, of the Indian Act
– Protecting people from unjust and unnecessary deportation
– Eliminating the undue influence of money in Canadian politics
Committees
Elizabeth also played a key role in the establishment of two new all-party committees this week – the Canada-Palestine Friendship Group and the Democracy Caucus.
Arnold Chan delivers moving speech on elevating debate in the House of Commons
On June 12th, Liberal MP Arnold Chan, who has been battling cancer, stood and delivered an excellent speech in the House of Commons, appealing to parliamentarians to elevate their debate and practice, and to citizens to value their democracy. He also gave a gracious “shout-out” to Elizabeth (starting at 07:23).
Both his full speech and Elizabeth’s response can be found at the link below:
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Public Statements
Petitions
Elizabeth introduced the following petitions to the government this week:
- Ensure that proportional representation becomes our voting system to ensure Canadian elections result in a democratically elected House that reflects the way the citizens of our country have actually voted.
- End the use of security certificates. They are inherently open to abuse and violate an individual’s right to a fair trial.
- Create a national strategy to deal with the crisis of violence against women, particularly as it pertains to missing and murdered indigenous women.
- Place targets that will assist in the global effort to avoid a 1.5°C global average temperature increase, and work to expedite the closing down of coal-based and other thermal coal exports to essentially decarbonize electricity as quickly as possible.
- Consider targeting international development support to small-scale sustainable agriculture, in order to work toward food security and food sovereignty for developing nations.
- Implement a national approach to income security for seniors, particularly an increase in the guaranteed income supplement, the strengthening of the Canada pension plan and Quebec pension plan, developing a national pension insurance program, and creating a national facility to adopt workplace pension plans of companies that have slid into bankruptcy.
Read the governments’ responses to petitions Elizabeth has introduced here.
Community Newsletter
*New* June 2017 Newsletter – Canada 150
Have Your Say
Poverty Reduction
The Government is currently consulting Canadians on poverty reduction. We encourage you to find out more and participate online by clicking here!
Elizabeth’s submission to the Poverty Reduction Consultation can be viewed or downloaded here.
Deadline: June 30
Renegotiating NAFTA
The Government is currently consulting Canadians on the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Mexico.
We encourage you to find out more and participate online by clicking here!
Elizabeth’s submission is pending, but we look forward to providing it to you soon.
Deadline: July 18
Committee Briefs
Brief Submitted to the Expert Panel Reviewing Environmental Assessment Law
Private Members’ Bills
Elizabeth May has introduced the following bills:
Bill C-269: This bill will abolish mandatory minimum sentences for all crimes of except murder and treason.
Bill C-258: This “Think Small First” bill would require that every new bill introduced in the House undergo an assessment to determine how the bill would impact Canadian small businesses.
Bill C-259: The Open Science Act would require all federal departments to make all publicly funded scientific research available to Canadians on their websites.
For a list of private members’ bills Elizabeth May has seconded, please visit elizabethmaymp.ca
Recent Events
Thursday, June 1st – Elizabeth jointly hosted the Turning Parliament Inside Out – Book Release
Sunday, June 4th – Elizabeth delivered a keynote address at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Annual Conference in Ottawa
Tuesday, June 6th – Thursday, June 8th – Elizabeth was at the United Nations in New York City as part of the Canadian Government’s delegation for the United Nations Ocean Conference
Upcoming Events
Saturday, June 17th – Elizabeth will deliver a speech at the Annual General Meeting of the Green Party of Germany
Friday, June 23rd – Join Elizabeth on the Southern Gulf Islands for the third annual Tour des Îles
Sunday, June 25th – Join Elizabeth as she marches in the 37th annual Toronto Pride Parade
As always, the support of the Green Party of Canada has been invaluable in enabling Elizabeth to hold the government to account on such a large number of issues. For more information on their work, or to get involved, please visit: https://www.greenparty.ca/