Elizabeth May: Mr. Speaker, I fully support the opposition day motion put forward by the New Democratic Party. I wonder if, when addressing the mistakes that are being made to the employment insurance program, we could not just reach back to the spring and include the egregious changes that were made in Bill C-38 that will make it increasingly difficult for Canadians who are dependent on seasonal industries, whether fishing, tourism or forestry, to be able to continue in those industries? It is a real threat to their employers as well.

Chris Charlton: Mr. Speaker, I absolutely agree with the leader of the Green Party. The changes that were made in Bill C-38 to the provisions impacting those who are seasonally employed are absolutely outrageous.

The reason we focused on this particular part of the EI system for today’s motion is that, one, it is a stand-alone discrete item and, two, we in the NDP kind of want to give the minister the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps she did not understand her own program. We want to give her the opportunity, in this one very specific way, to say, “You know what? You’re right; there is a mistake in the program design. I recognize it now and I’m prepared to fix it”. That is why we cast the motion as narrowly as we did.

The member is absolutely right. We could spend the entire rest of this Parliament talking about things that need to be fixed with Canada’s employment insurance system.

The post Opposition Motion—Employment Insurance appeared first on Elizabeth May.

This enactment amends the Fish Inspection Act to add a requirement that, if a person is importing shark or shark product, the country of harvest and the common name of the shark must be indicated, in writing, to an inspector. It also amends the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act to prohibit the sale or importation of shark and shark product unless it is prepackaged and labelled to show certain information, including a statement that it may be unfit for human consumption due to mercury contamination.

Preamble

Whereas mercury and other heavy metals are dangerous environmental contaminants, with grave consequences for human health if consumed in high concentrations;

Whereas numerous scientific studies have identified dangerous levels of mercury and other heavy metals in some shark fin products that make them unfit for human consumption and a food safety risk;

Whereas it is of critical importance to Canadian consumers to have all necessary information about the products they consume presented in an accessible and transparent manner, in order to make informed decisions about health and diet;

Whereas due primarily to the pressures caused by overfishing, global shark populations are collapsing, and a 2011 study by Mizue et al. concluded that, “overfishing of sharks is now recognized as a major global conservation concern, with increasing numbers of shark species added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list of threatened species”;

Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

Fish Inspection Act

1. The Fish Inspection Act is amended by adding the following after section 3:

Shark importation

3.1 (1) A person who imports shark or shark product shall provide written indication to an inspector of (a) the country of harvest of the shark, regardless of whether it is wild-caught; and (b) the common name of the species and subspecies of shark.

Country of harvest

(2) For the purposes of this section, “country of harvest” includes, in circumstances where the shark is harvested outside the territorial waters of a particular country, the geographic location in which the shark was harvested. R.S., c. C-38

Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act

2. The Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act is amended by adding the following after section 4:

Shark and shark product

4.1 (1) No dealer shall sell or import into Canada any shark or shark product unless it is prepackaged and has applied to it a label that, in addition to complying with any other requirements of this Act, shows (a) the shark’s common or generic name; (b) the shark’s country of harvest; and (c) the following statement: “Shark and shark products may be unfit for human consumption due to mercury contamination. Le requin et les produits de requin peuvent être impropres à la consommation humaine en raison de la contamination par le mercure.”

Country of harvest

(2) For the purposes of this section, “country of harvest” includes, in circumstances where the shark is harvested outside the territorial waters of a particular country, the geographic location in which the shark was harvested.

The post C-417 An Act to amend the Fish Inspection Act and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act appeared first on Elizabeth May.