Green Caucus Week in Review 10/19-23

This week began with an emergency debate on Monday to discuss the ongoing dispute between Indigenous and commercial lobster fishers in Novia Scotia. The debate ran until almost one o’clock in the morning. Greens condemned the violence against Indigenous fishers in Nova Scotia. They agreed that the RCMP response to the non-Indigenous protesters, who have lit cars on fire and destroyed lobster catch, has been abysmal and inconsistent with their reaction to the non-violent protests in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people against the Coastal GasLink pipeline back in March. Paul attended a rally in solidarity with the Mi’kmaq lobster fishers in Nanaimo.

October 21st marked Jenica’s one-year anniversary of being elected to the House of Commons, becoming Fredericton’s first female Member of Parliament and the first Green elected outside BC. She commented on the Lobster fishery dispute on Information Morning – Fredericton with Terry Seguin.

Bill C-7, the amended Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) legislation, was also debated this week. Elizabeth stated that this legislation has been delayed for too long because of the pandemic, and that many people who could have benefitted from the treatment have suffered unnecessarily as a result. They maintained that Canada needs better palliative care to help ease the suffering of terminally ill patients.

Jenica, Paul and Elizabeth voted against a Conservative motion proposed Wednesday to establish an anti-corruption committee to investigate the WE charity scandal. It was deemed a confidence motion by the governing Liberals, meaning that if it had passed, an election would have been triggered. Greens maintained that the government needs to be available to Canadians to continue administering programs to help with the COVID-19 pandemic, and that going to an election now would be irresponsible. Elizabeth mentioned that resources would be better used investigating the Liberal’s obstruction of justice in the SNC Lavalin affair than the WE scandal. Paul emphasized that funds for the Canada Student Service Grant would have been put to better use in the already established Canada Summer Jobs program.

On Friday, Greens supported Bill C-5, to make Orange Shirt Day a national holiday to honour survivors of residential schools. Jenica gave a speech in support of this motion. See below for more interventions from the Green MPs.

Next Tuesday Elizabeth will speak at the Scaling Up 2020 conference on a Virtual panel titled Paris: Getting to a Green and Just Recovery. Click here for more information and to register.

October 21 marked one year since Jenica Atwin was elected as Member of Parliament for Fredericton

Key Moments

• Elizabeth May: Canadians have waited long enough for Medical Assistance in Dying
• Paul Manly: A government serious about arresting the climate crisis and the health of its citizens would ban fracking
• Paul Manly: Will the government estabilsh a National Mental Health Strategy?
• Jenica Atwin: Orange Shirt Day should be a national holiday, but we must do much more for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples

Question Period and Member’s Statements

• Elizabeth May: Where was the RCMP to protect the Mi’kmaq lobster catch in Nova Scotia?
• Jenica Atwin on the Mi’kmaq lobster fishery: treaties are made between sovereign nations
• Elizabeth May: The RCMP response to Mi’kmaq lobster conflict should be investigated
• Elizabeth May: Who does the RCMP protect?
• Elizabeth May: Clearwater poses more of a threat to conservation than the Mi’kmaq fishery
• Paul Manly: RCMP treatment of Indigenous vs non-Indigenous protesters is inconsistent
• Elizabeth May: Obstruction of justice in the SNC Lavalin affair deserves closer scrutiny than the WE scandal
• Paul Manly: Funds for the Canada Student Service Grant should have been used for Canada Summer Jobs
• Jenica Atwin: When will we have national standards for long-term care homes?

Statements and Press Releases

• Green caucus votes against Conservative motion
• Green Party of Canada joins Nova Scotia Greens in condemning the escalating violence against Mi’kmaq fishermen

In Their Own Words​

• Jenica Atwin on Information Morning – Fredericton with Terry Seguin (Mi’kmaq fishing treaty rights)
• Elizabeth May and Annamie Paul on This Hour Has 22 Minutes
• Elizabeth May: Good Sunday Morning – October 18
• Elizabeth May on CTV News Power Play October 21

Petitions

E-petitions open for signature

• e-2776 Divest CPPIB from open-net pen aquaculture (closes 24 October 24)
• e-2667 Ensure the human rights of Palestinian children (closes November 3)
• e-2837 Eliminate commercial anchorages in the Southern Gulf Islands (closes November 14)
• e-2708 Hold Turkey accountable for human rights violations (closes November 26)
• e-2828 Reject the Roberts Bank Container Terminal 2 Project (closes December 2)
• e-2836 Implement a Guaranteed Livable Income for all Canadians (closes December 14)