Week in Review: October 23 – 27
October 27, 2017
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.
As well as intervening in a debate around MPs and the code of ethics, Elizabeth challenged Minister Garneau on restoring pre-2012 protections to navigable waters. She joins the final leg of the Canada C3 Expedition, a 150-day journey along all three national coasts, ending in the Saanich-Gulf Islands!
This newsletter covers Elizabeth’s work in the House from October 23, 2017 to October 27, 2017.
* 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
Question Period
Point of Order
Debate
Current Issues: Bill S-203 Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act
What’s in the Bill
Bill S-203, Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphin Acts, is strong, spearheading legislation that would protect cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) from the trauma of confinement for human entertainment by banning their captive breeding, imports, exports and live captures. The bill does not stop or impede the rescue, research or rehabilitation of injured individuals and owners of currently captive whales and dolphins would be able to keep them, just not breed them. Former Nova Scotia Senator Willie Moore tabled the bill in 2015 and it has been treading water ever since, until this week.
The social and physical isolation of cetaceans in captivity, their dorsal fin collapse, broken teeth, damaged skin, reduced lifespans and stress-induced aggression is morally unacceptable. It is way past time for this legislation and thousands of Canadians agree. Senator Murray Sinclair, who took over the bill’s sponsorship upon former Senator Moore’s retirement, reports that public support for the bill is immense. “Each of us on the committee have probably received a few thousand emails, generally in support of the bill. There are quite a few Canadians out there who want this to pass. I recognize the importance of it.”
Concerning whales and dolphins in captivity, politics and legislation are lagging far behind the general public. Our laws must catch up.
A Whale-Sized Breach of Conduct
Yet despite the overwhelming public support for the bill and abundant scientific research, S-203 has faced unyielding opposition from Conservative Senators, led by Senate Whip Don Plett who has made a mission out of killing the bill.
On September 13, Elizabeth sent a letter to Lobbying Commissioner Karen Shepherd raising concerns about possible past and continuing breaches of the Lobbying Act regarding Bill S-203 and calling for an investigation into the Marineland and the Vancouver Aquarium’s conduct. iPolitics reports that, “The complaint cites several reasons to suspect improper lobbying: social media posts (some of which have since been deleted), comments made by senators at committee, professionally-prepared letters sent to all senators by both facilities and a grassroots letter-writing campaign aimed at senators organized by the aquarium.” Senator Plett is implicated in many of these cases. He has been at the centre of multiple attempts to halt the bill’s progress, which fortunately have failed one by one.
The Bill Swims On
Plett and the Conservatives made some legitimate complaints regarding the bill but as their colleagues on the committee noted, all those issues could be solved by amendments. And on October 26, so they were. Senator Sinclair proposed those amendments and by a vote of 9-5 all of them were accepted. A primary objection to the bill’s original state was that it did not account for indigenous treaty rights and consultations. One of the clauses Sinclair introduced recognizes those treaty rights and s. 35 of the Constitution, “to ensure that Indigenous people in Canada know this is not intended to derogate rights that are protected under s.35.” Five indigenous senators consequently voted in favour of Senator Sinclair’s amendments, moving the bill forward.
This is definite progress, but the bill is far from passed and cetaceans far from being protected from captivity. Immense public support for S-203 helped move it through the committee and that backing must be maintained to ensure safe passage of the bill through both chambers. Please write to the Senate. Write to your Member of Parliament. Start a petition. Make sure every representative knows how much you care about keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises out of captivity.
You can read more about Bill S-203, here.
In the Media
- “Canada C3 expedition exploring all three coastlines on final leg from Campbell River to Victoria”
(Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun, October 21)
- “Elizabeth May calls out Tory MP’s for ‘schoolyard bullying’”
(Janice Dickinson, iPolitics, October 23)
- “Elizabeth May asks for maturity as MPs mock Marc Garneau’s words”
(Ryan Maloney, HuffPost Canada , October 23)
- “Elizabeth May asks MPs For Some Maturity After Question Spurs ‘Schoolyard Bullying’”
(Rachel Aiello, CTV News, October 23)
- “It’s sink or swim for anti-captivity bill”
(Holly Lake, iPolitics, October 25)
- “‘Free Will’ bill jumps to Senate for approval”
(Holly Lake, iPolitics, October 26)
Public Statements
- Statement on Canada’s special envoy to Myanmar, and Rohingya humanitarian crisis (October 23)
- Statement on United Nations Day (October 24)
- Statement on Fall Fiscal Update (October 24)
- Statement on the Fall Economic Report (October 24)
- Whales in captivity bill passes Senate committee with critical amendments (October 26)
Petitions
Elizabeth introduced the following petitions to the government this week:
- Acknowledge the importance of educators, particularly in environmental matters
- Protect the Salish Sea habitat and its population of killer whales
View and sign e-petitions currently sponsored by Elizabeth here.
Read the governments’ responses to petitions Elizabeth has introduced here.
Learn about the e-petition process or create one of your own here.
Community Newsletter
September 2017 Newsletter – Repair our Environmental, Privacy and Security Laws
Have Your Say
Engage in government consultations for key legislative items:
Trade with Asia-Pacific Nations
Deadline: October 30
Deadline: Passed
*If you would like to submit comments regarding food policy, you can always write to Minister for Food and Agriculture Canada, Lawrence MacAulay. Contact information, here.
Committee Briefs & Responses
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
Brief Submitted to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act
Private Members’ Bills
Elizabeth May has introduced the following bills:
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
Wednesday, October 25 to Sunday, October 29
- Elizabeth at the Canada C3 Expedition on Saturn Island, Salt Spring Island, Saanich, and Victoria


Upcoming Events
Sunday, November 5
Saturday, November 11 to Sunday, November 19
Tuesday, November 28
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/