Week in Review: February 26 – March 2
Welcome to Elizabeth May’s parliamentary week in review! This weekly e-newsletter recaps her work in Parliament when the House is in session. Using 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.
This week in the House, Elizabeth lambasted the government for drastically cutting short debate on Bill C-69, the deeply flawed omnibus environmental legislation. She also commented on the Phoenix Pay System disaster and the Canada Summer Jobs snafu. You will also find in this issue a press release and various articles with her comments on Budget 2018.
The House is in recess for the next two weeks. Stay tuned for the next Week in Review on March 23!
* If you are having trouble viewing this email, please view online at: https://elizabethmaymp.ca/category/news/week-in-review/
Key Moments in the House
Speech
Earlier this week, the Liberals passed a motion for time allocation on Bill C-69, the environmental protections legislation. This shut down debate on a complex, deeply flawed omnibus bill. It is now left to committees, which limit public participation, to make the necessary changes.
Time allocation and omnibus legislation are two egregious practices the Liberals promised to leave behind in the Harper era. This government also promised to undo the damage of bills C-38 and C-45, which took the teeth out of environmental assessments, gutted the Fisheries Act, rescinded protections for 99% of Canada’s inland waterways, and gave almost limitless power to the National Energy Board.
In the speech below, Elizabeth excoriates the current administration for breaking all three promises.
Question Period
Debate
Time Allocation, Bill C-69: Impact Assessment Act
- Does the member see in Bill C-69 guarantees for procedural fairness?
- The Minister is unfamiliar with the contents of her own bill
- My heart is breaking over this environmental protections legislation
- The Canada-China investment treaty gives the latter the right to challenge any decision at any level of government
- Bill C-69 excludes advice from the expert panels on EA and the NEB
Bill S-210: Repealing the short title of the ‘Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act’
Opposition Motions
- NDP Motion, Phoenix Pay System: Sue IBM and get our own civil servants to fix this mess
- NDP Motion, Phoenix Pay System: I want to compliment Ms. Hardcastle for never heckling in this place
- CPC Motion, Canada Summer Jobs: The attestation box was a mistake, but women’s legal rights are inviolable
- CPC Motion, Canada Summer Jobs: The government should not have needed a one-size-fits-all checkbox
In the News
- “Budget 2018 – Interview with Elizabeth May”
(Peter Van Dusen, CPAC Special, February 27)
- “Green Party on the Federal Budget”
(Don Martin, Power Play, February 27)
- “Liberals move ‘time allocation’ on Bill C-69, legislation on environmental reviews and navigable waters”
(Brent Patterson, The Council of Canadians, February 27)
- “Some of the reaction to the Liberal government’s 2018 budget tabled Tuesday”
(The Canadian Press, The National Post, February 27)
- “‘A real lifesaver’: Liberals take first step towards universal pharmacare”
(Daniel Otis, CTV News, February 27)
Public Statements
Petitions
Elizabeth introduced the following petitions to the government this week:
- Extend the legislated tanker ban to cover the entire coast of British Columbia.
- Confer legal status to each of the Great Lakes as living entities with powers under our laws, with a multi-interest Great Lakes tribunal led by Indigenous people to act as the voice for these newly created legal persons.
- Support small family farmers internationally and ensure support for their right to preserve, use, and freely exchange seeds.
Note: Elizabeth presents petitions once the deadline for signatures has passed. After presentation in the House, the government has 45 calendar days to table a response. You may read the governments’ responses to petitions Elizabeth has introduced here.
View and sign open e-petitions currently sponsored by Elizabeth here.
Learn about the e-petition process or create one of your own here.
Community Newsletter
December 2017 Newsletter – Truth & Reconciliation
Have Your Say
Engage in government consultations for key legislative items:
Carbon pricing: Regulatory framework for the output-based pricing system
Deadline: April 9
Development of Regulations – Proposed Impact Assessment Legislation
Deadline: April 15
Committee Briefs & Responses
Submission to the Consultations on the federal Carbon Pricing System
Submission to the Consultations on the Federal Leaders’ Debates
Submission to the Consultations on Health Canada’s Proposed Approach to the Regulation of Cannabis
Submission to the Consultations on the Proposed Excise Duty Framework for Cannabis Products
Submission to the Canada-Pacific Trade Consultations
Brief Submitted to the NAFTA Renegotiation Consultation
Brief Submitted to the Minister of Food and Agriculture Canada for “A Food Policy for Canada”
Response Submitted to the Consultations on Tax Planning Using Private Corporations
Response Submitted to the “Environment and Regulatory Reviews: Discussion Paper”
Brief Submitted to the Expert Panel Reviewing Environmental Assessment Law
Private Members’ Bills
Elizabeth May has introduced the following bills:
Bill C-387: This bill will establish a legislative framework for a national passenger rail service.
Bill C-269: This bill will abolish mandatory minimum sentences for all crimes 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
Monday, February 26
- Elizabeth was a panelist for the Lisgar Speaker Series on environmental policy and Indigenous relations
Wednesday, February 28
- Elizabeth met with representatives from the Canadian Association of Retired Persons
Thursday, March 1
- Elizabeth attended the Great Big Crunch event
- Elizabeth guest lectured for a course at the University of Ottawa
- Two students shadowed Elizabeth as part of the University of Toronto Women on the Hill program
Upcoming Events
Saturday, March 3
- Elizabeth speaks at the Rally for a Free Tibet in Victoria
- Elizabeth attends the Pender Island ceildh
Wednesday, March 7
- Elizabeth is a panelist at the BC Building Trades “Building Our Future” Conference in Victoria
- Elizabeth acts as Race Official at the 2018 Secret Marathon in Victoria
Thursday, March 8
- Elizabeth speaks to the Environmental Law Club at the University of Victoria
- Elizabeth delivers a talk on women’s rights at St. Mary’s Church in Metchosin
Monday, March 12
Tuesday, March 13
- Join Elizabeth at the 2018 UBC Reads Sustainability event
- Elizabeth speaks at UBC on Canada’s New Wave of Environmental Law Reform: Tide Going In or Out?
Wednesday, March 14
Thursday, March 15
Friday, March 23
- Elizabeth attends the BC Leadership Prayer Breakfast in Vancouver
- Elizabeth attends the Welcome Reception for the JUNO awards
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/