Bill S-203, Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins, passes! Elizabeth joins colleagues, activists, and organizations at a press conference to discuss what this means for whales and dolphins in Canada, and next steps.

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A coalition of over 20 leading marine scientists and stakeholder organizations have supported Bill S-203. Bill S-203 was promoted by Animal Justice, Humane Canada – the federation of SPCAs and Humane Societies, Humane Society International/Canada, marine scientists Dr. Lori Marino and Dr. Naomi Rose of the Whale Sanctuary Project, Ontario Captive Animal Watch, Phil Demers, the former head trainer at Marineland, World Animal Protection, Dr. David Suzuki, the Jane Goodall Institute, and more.

We thank the key Parliamentarians who championed and sponsored this legislation: MP Elizabeth May, Senator Wilfred Moore, Senator Murray Sinclair, MP Fin Donnelly, MP Gord Johns, Senator Peter Harder, Senator Dan Christmas, MP Nathan Cullen, MP Sean Casey, MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP Mario Beaulieu, MP Monique Pauzé, MP Nick Whalen, MP Will Amos, Senator Elizabeth Hubley, Senator Janis Johnson, Senator Mary Jane McCallum, and many more.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands)stated: “Canadians have been clear, they want the cruel practice of keeping whales and dolphins in captivity to end. With the passage of Bill S-203, we have ensured that this will happen. Thank you to the government, Senator Moore and Senator Sinclair, as well as Members of Parliament from all sides, and non-profit organizations for helping to ensure this important piece of animal welfare legislation will become law.”

S-203 is the second piece of legislation to become law under the Green Party of Canada and sponsored by Elizabeth May. In December, 2014 Bill C-442, Elizabeth May’s National Lyme Disease Strategy Act received Royal Assent.

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For more information or to arrange an interview contact:

Rosie Emery
Press Secretary
613-562-4916×206
rosie.emery@greenparty.ca

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Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour to speak today during the final hour of debate after several years of work on a bill that is important to the world’s whales.

I am particularly honoured to rise this morning because we are at the point that most members in this place appear ready to see this legislation pass. The legislation was first brought forward in the last few days of the Senate sitting of 2015. It has been, to put it mildly, a long haul.

The hon. member just raised concerns, and I think all concerns by my colleagues in this place are legitimate. However, it is important for anyone watching this debate to recognize that the bill is based on science.

Many scientists testified as to why it is critical that we stop keeping cetaceans in captivity. We understand why. They are obviously not akin to livestock, for instance. Cetaceans require the ocean. They require the space. They require acoustic communication over long distances. The scientists who testified before the committee who made the case so strongly made it based on science.

Yes, Canadians care. Yes, the school children who wrote to us in the thousands were not moved by the science; they were moved because they see movies and nature films and they understand that whales, dolphins and porpoises are of a different character than other animals.

I would reassure my friend that we could not just substitute the name for another species. Bill S-203 is firmly tied to the Fisheries Act. I do not think we would find any horses in the wild in the ocean. We have tied it down legislatively in such a way that others should not worry that there will be a creeping effect.

In the time remaining, I want to say how grateful I am for the non-partisan spirit. It has been my entire honour to be the sponsor of this legislation in the House. I am enormously grateful to my colleagues.

I mentioned the scientists. Let me thank Dr. Visser, who testified at committee, coming in by Skype from New Zealand in the days right after the Christchurch killings. It was an emotional time for everyone. I would also like to thank Dr. Naomi Rose, and from Dalhousie University, Dr. Hal Whitehead. Phil Demers, a former whale trainer at Marineland, offered excellent real-life testimony as to the cruelty of keeping whales in captivity.

Certainly Senator Wilfred Moore and Senator Murray Sinclair have done an enormous amount to help. So too has the government representative in the Senate, Senator Harder.

I also want to thank the Minister of Fisheries and his predecessor for taking companion elements in Bill S-203 and embedding them in Bill C-68. Bill C-68, the reform of the Fisheries Act, remains before the Senate.

I want to take a moment to urge all colleagues in the other place to move Bill C-68 through. I also urge everyone here, if there are amendments, to move Bill C-68 through, because the Fisheries Act is critically important on many scores, as well as being companion legislation to Bill S-203.

Again, in a non-partisan spirit, I want to thank the hon. member for Port Moody—Coquitlam, who we will miss in this place, and the hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley. I also want to mention his constituent, Ben Korving, who put forward the legislation regarding zero-waste packaging. I pledge, as leader of the Green Party, to take on Ben Korving’s motion and make sure that it does not die in this place, because those members made a sacrifice to allow Bill S-203 to pass before we rise at the end of June.

I also want to thank the hon. member for Beaches—East York, a Liberal, and my friend from Courtenay—Alberni, who was gracious in his praise earlier.

Everyone pulled together on this. The member for Charlottetown, the parliamentary secretary, helped enormously.

I would once again like to thank my Bloc Québécois colleague, the member for Repentigny.

I know that there were Conservative colleagues who did what they could.

I cannot tell members how important this legislation is. I will close with a few words that we have not heard in this place before. They are from the book of Job. They are found in chapter 41, verse 1.

Behold, Behemoth,
which I made as I made you;…

He is the first of the works of God;…

Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook
or press down his tongue with a cord?
Can you put a rope in his nose
or pierce his jaw with a hook?…
Will traders bargain over him?
Will they divide him up among the merchants?…

On earth there is not his like,…
He sees everything that is high;
he is king over all the sons of pride.

To everyone in this place, let us think for a moment. We behold Leviathan. He belongs in the wild. He will never again be placed in a swimming pool in this country.

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I thank those members who are applauding this historic day. I speak for myself and for many Canadians from coast to coast to coast when I say we are very grateful for the assistance of the hon. Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the assistance of the hon. Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the assistance of their parliamentary secretaries in assisting this bill to get through this place after its long, long, long gestation in the Senate. We are extremely grateful for that support to expedite the passage of this bill so that it can receive royal assent before this House adjourns for the summer and the election.

I am only going to canvass briefly the elements of the bill; I think we are all very familiar with it.

It was started in the Senate, where it was sponsored by an absolutely terrific Canadian who would make the case that we should change mandatory retirement at age 75 for members of the Senate.

Senator Wilfred Moore of Nova Scotia brought this bill forward in 2015. On his retirement, it was taken up by another magnificent and inspiring leader within this country, former jurist Senator Murray Sinclair. All of their work and all of the witnesses in the long hearings before the Senate made the same point over and over again: In the 21st century, we simply know better than to think cetaceans belong in captivity. We can no longer pretend that the entertainment value of these magnificent, sentient creatures in swimming pools anywhere in Canada is acceptable.

Parallel to our efforts on Bill S-203 is a very good bill, Bill C-68, from the former minister of fisheries, the hon. member for Beauséjour. It is is currently before the Senate, and we certainly hope will pass soon. To him, I once again want to underline my deep thanks for all of his work as minister of fisheries.

Bill C-68, would make it illegal to take a cetacean into captivity in Canadian waters. Bill S-203, finishes that piece and makes it comprehensive by adding that we will not breed cetaceans in captivity, nor will we buy cetaceans from other countries and keep them in captivity.

We are listening to the science and taking the appropriate actions.

I want to thank other people who have played a significant role in seeing this largely non-partisan effort, supported by thousands and thousands of Canadians, come to this point.

I want to thank the hon. members for Courtenay—Alberni, New Westminster—Burnaby, Beaches—East York and Pontiac; the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard; the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard; the members for West Nova, Avalon, and Charlottetown, and the member for Repentigny from the Bloc Québécois. There was help from members on all sides of the House, including the party that did not support the bill; there are individual members of that party who were very helpful.

The NGO community has been very helpful in assisting the process by networking with good scientists and also making sure the community of Canadians concerned with cetaceans received assistance. That community includes Animal Justice and its spectacular lawyer, Camille Labchuk; the Humane Society of Canada; Humane Society International; Ontario Captive Animal Watch; Animal Alliance of Canada; World Animal Protection; and The Whale Sanctuary Project. Assistance also came from scientists Dr. Lori Marino; Dr. Ingrid Visser, who testified by video link all the way from New Zealand; Dr. Naomi Rose; Dr. Hal Whitehead, of Dalhousie University; and Phil Demers.

All of these scientists, NGOs, individual elected Canadians and those from the unelected other place worked diligently and did their homework with one aim only: to end a practice that we all know is wrong.

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I am writing to you today with an urgent request.

On April 2nd, Bill S-203, An Act to End the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins, will be examined clause by clause in committee. If we are to have any chance at passing this legislation, the bill needs to get through committee without any amendments. If a single amendment is made, no matter how friendly or well-intentioned, it would have the effect of killing this bill. This is why I need you to take action now. 

Email the Liberal MPs on the Fisheries and Oceans Committee and tell them to pass Bill S-203 without a single amendment.

This bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation that I have worked on during my time as a Member of Parliament. Whales, dolphins and porpoises are highly intelligent creatures. When held in captivity, they suffer from confinement isolation, health problems, reduced life spans, high infant mortality rates, sensory deprivation, and trauma from transfer to other parks and calf separation. Put simply, keeping whales and dolphins in captivity is a cruel practice that needs to be outlawed in Canada.

Most Canadians support ending this outdated practice; it is time that politicians took action. Bill S-203 is the solution to this problem, as long as we pass it before the election. If it is amended during this process, the bill will never become law. 

I’ve done everything I can to convince my colleagues that this bill needs to be passed ASAP. Now it is up to you. Take to social media to share the importance of Bill S-203, email the committee members, call your MP. Every action you take makes a difference and helps push this bill towards the finish line. 

Thank you for all that you do, together we will make a difference.

For the whales,

Elizabeth May, O.C.

Member of Parliament

Saanich-Gulf Islands

Leader of the Green Party of Canada

P.S. – If you would like to find out more about Bill S-203, you can watch my speech in the House of Commons or read the briefing package that was sent to all Members of Parliament. If you are still looking for more ways to support Bill S-203, forward this email to 5 friends or pick up the phone and call your Member of Parliament.

The post ACTION ALERT – End Keeping Whales and Dolphins in Captivity appeared first on Elizabeth May.

I am writing to you today to draw your attention to an important piece of legislation currently in the House of Commons, Bill S-203, the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act (also known as the Free Willy Bill). This groundbreaking bill has received support from the majority of parties in the House of Commons.

As the title says, Bill S-203 will phase out keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises in captivity across Canada. The fact is, Canada is behind on this issue. The United Kingdom, Italy, New Zealand, Chile, Cyprus, Hungary and Mexico have all already banned or severely restricted these inhumane practices and over 20 leading marine scientists have endorsed the bill. Right now in Canada, there are over 75 whales and dolphins in captivity. Bill S-203 will phase out the holding of cetaceans in Canada, except for rescues, rehabilitation, licensed scientific research, or for the animals’ best interest.

When held in captivity these animals suffer from confinement isolation, health problems, reduced lifespans, sensory deprivation and much more. The practice of keeping cetaceans in captivity for the sole purpose of entertainment is inherently cruel and must stop. I am doing everything I can, working with my colleagues in the House of Commons to pass this bill – but we need your help. Today I am asking you to take action, and here is how:

• Sign the House of Commons e-petition 1919
  
• Get 25 friends (or more) to sign this paper petition and send it to my office so I can present it on your behalf in the House of Commons
• Send a letter to your MP using Humane Society International – Canada’s letter writing tool
• Sign the Green Party of Canada’s petition to “Free Willy”

If you would like to find out more about Bill S-203, you can watch my speech in the House of Commons or read the briefing package that was sent to all Members of Parliament. If you are still looking for more ways to support Bill S-203, forward this email to 5 friends or pick up the phone and call your Member of Parliament.

Thank you for all that you do, together we will make a difference.

For the whales,

Elizabeth May, O.C.
Member of Parliament
Saanich-Gulf Islands
Leader of the Green Party of Canada

The post Bill S-203, the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act (also known as the Free Willy Bill) appeared first on Elizabeth May.

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 bill is evidence-based policy. “Whales and dolphins are highly intelligent, emotional and social creatures that roam vast distances in the sea,” said former Senator Moore. “Science tells us that keeping them in captivity is unjustifiably cruel. Canada’s laws should reflect the evidence.”

In the wild, many cetacean species live their entire lives with their families called pods that may contain up to 100 members. Different pods have their own dialects, whistles particular to their family. Orcas can travel up to 150 kilometres a day, reaching speeds of 45 kilometres an hour and dive more than 200 metres deep. In comparison, “a captive orca’s range is only 1/10,000^th of 1 per cent the size of its natural home range. Just think about that: 1/10,000^th of 1 per cent of its natural home range.”

You can’t swim that far or dive that deep in a concrete tank or swimming pool. A beluga at the Vancouver Aquarium, one of two facilities in Canada that currently holds captive cetaceans, has swum thousands of laps in their tank for years. Their social and physical isolation, dorsal fin collapse, broken teeth, damaged skin, reduced lifespans and stress-induced aggression is morally unacceptable. As former Senator Moore reported from the hearings, “Dr. Lori Marino, a leading cetacean scientist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia… believes that captive cetaceans have attempted suicide by beating their heads against the walls of pools and leaping from their tanks.” It is way past time for this legislation, thousands of Canadians agree.

The committee has received overwhelming support from Canadians to pass S-203. Senator Murray Sinclair, who took over the bill’s sponsorship upon 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 is lagging far behind the general public. It is past time for our laws to catch up.

‘Un-understandable’ opposition

Yet despite the overwhelming public support for the bill and abundant scientific research, S-203 has faced unyielding opposition from Conservative Senators, led by Conservative Senate Whip Don Plett who has made a mission of killing the bill.

Canadian Federation of Humane Societies CEO Barbara Cartwright is concerned about Senator Plett and the Conservatives continuing antics, as their “‘un-understandable defense of Marineland, almost as if they’re lobbying on behalf of Marineland, seems to me to be an issue or a problem with the way the process is happening.” MP Elizabeth May agrees. On September 13^th, she 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. Despite a lack of registered lobbying of public office holders related to the bill, “there is evidence to suspect that significant lobbying of at least one and possibly additional senators by Marineland, or on its behalf by its agents, has occurred in relation to Bill S-203,” May said. 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, as several times in committee he has cited content that Marineland may have provided and attacked witnesses’ credibility based on detailed information reflecting the park’s claims in ongoing litigation. In May 2016 he was also among a group of Conservative senators who visited the Vancouver Aquarium but disregarded to make note of it in the public record. Senator Plett has made multiple attempts to halt the bill’s progress through the Senate, which thus far have failed. Before it was referred to committee, Plett and other Conservative senators made a hoist amendment, an extraordinary measure to defeat it at second reading. In committee, Plett made further efforts to stop it from being referred back to the Senate by requesting another round of consultation, despite the extensive testimonies already given.

The bill swims on back to the Senate

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 27^th, 2017 they were, as 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,” he said. Five indigenous senators consequently voted in favour of Sinclair’s amendments and to move the bill forward.

This is a great step forward but the bill is far from passed and cetaceans far from being protected. Immense public support for S-203 helped move it through the committee and that backing must be maintained to ensure the bill makes it the rest of the way through the Senate and House of Commons. Please write to the Senate. Write to your Member of Parliament. Make sure every representative knows how much you care about keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises out of captivity.

As former Senator Elizabeth Hubley wrote in an iPolitics opinion piece supporting the bill, “Times change and the entertainment value of watching whales and dolphins swim circles in concrete tanks should be ending, too – just like this legislative circus.” Because this is how we should see whales, dolphins and porpoises. In the wide wild ocean, with their families.

Suggested Text for a Petition

 Whereas:

•  Whales and dolphins are intelligent, social, and roaming creatures;
• Scientific evidence shows that they suffer unjustifiably when kept in display tanks; and
• The practice of keeping them in display tanks is plainly cruel.

We, the undersigned, citizens or residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to expeditiously pass Bill S-203, Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, tabled in the Senate by former Senator Wilfred Moore, when the bill reaches the House of Commons. Please do the right thing and support this evidence-based policy.

Links to Wildlife and Animal Advocacy Groups

The Whale Sanctuary Project’s mission is to establish a model seaside sanctuary where cetaceans (whales and dolphins) who are being retired from entertainment facilities or have been rescued from the ocean and need rehabilitation or permanent care can live in an environment that maximizes well-being, autonomy and is as close as possible to their natural habitat. Composed of experts in the fields of marine mammal science and behaviour, veterinary medicine, husbandry, engineering, law and policy, the group seeks to lay the groundwork for the creation of permanent cetacean sanctuaries.

Zoocheck is a Canadian-based international wildlife protection charity established in 1984 to promote and protect the interests and well-being of wild animals. One of their current campaigns is to raise public awareness about the capture, import and display of cetaceans for public display and entertainment in Canada.

Campobello Whale Rescue Team (CWRT) is a volunteer organization that consists primarily of fishermen, a biologist and other volunteers. Trained and experienced in using specialized equipment to disentangle whales from fishing gear, the CWRT works with weir owners to release trapped whales. The CWRT is licensed and permitted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to conduct whale disentanglement and release operations in the Bay of Fundy and adjacent waters off Nova Scotia and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Animal Justice leads the legal fight for animals in Canada. Their lawyers work to pass strong new animal protection legislation, push for the prosecution of animal abusers and fight for animals in court.

The Wilderness Committee was founded in 1980 is a non-profit staffed by over 60,00 staff, volunteers and activists working to preserve wilderness, protect wildlife, defend parks, safeguard public resources and fight for a stable and healthy climate. Among their current priorities is protecting the southern resident orcas living in the international waters between BC and Washington State.

Orca Conservancy is an all-volunteer non-profit organization is based in Washington State that works to protect orcas and the wild places in which they live. Collaborating with some of the world’s top research institutions and environmental groups, the organization is currently focused on the endangered southern resident orcas, J-Pod, K-Pod and L-Pod, who inhabit inland waters of Washington State and BC.

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