Week in Review: May 27 – 31
Welcome back to the parliamentary Week in Review for our Green Members of Parliament! This weekly e-newsletter recaps Elizabeth May and Paul Manly's work in Parliament when the House is in session. Using the links below, you can watch videos of Elizabeth and Paul's interventions in the House, keep up with their media releases, and read articles they have written.
What a week on Parliament Hill! On Monday, Elizabeth introduced newly-elected Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Ladysmith Paul Manly to the House of Commons as the second Green Party representative ever elected to Parliament! Paul was met with a standing ovation from both sides of the floor.
Later that day, two of Elizabeth's amendments for Bills C-93 and C-97 passed at committee stage!
Bill C-93, an Act to provide no-cost, expedited record suspensions for simple possession of cannabis, was amended to restrict the reasons for which a record suspension granted under this act could be revoked.
Bill C-97, an Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 19, 2019 and other measures, was amended to include in its preamble that Canada has obligations under international human rights treaties, including: the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights; the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Just a few hours into his time in Ottawa, Paul asked a question of the government: Is the government prepared to take emergency action to help people in crisis with affordable housing under the national housing strategy?
Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education.
On Tuesday, Elizabeth had the honour of meeting and congratulating her constituent, Lexie Biegun, recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education! Lexie’s Little Bears, an outdoor nature daycare, was recognized for its excellence in fostering creativity through art, nature, and the great outdoors.
to Abolish Nuclear Weapons – of which the Green Party of Canada is a partner.
With the 42nd Parliament coming to a close, midnight sittings have begun as Members of Parliament race to pass legislation.
For further updates on Elizabeth's activities, you can follow her on Facebook, @ElizabethMayMP and on Twitter, @ElizabethMay.
* If you are having trouble viewing this email, please view it online here: elizabethmaymp.ca/category/publications/week-in-review-publications*
Key Moments in the House
In the House of Commons:
- Elizabeth May urges her colleagues to maintain decorum in the House
- Paul Manly calls on government to create a national affordable housing strategy
- Elizabeth May: Canada's current climate targets are a path to extinction
- Paul Manly: Canadian technology companies should be used for clean energy initiatives
- Elizabeth May calls for increased transparency of social media companies in the 2019 election
- Paul Manly: The government must make substantial improvements to climate targets
- Elizabeth May: The government's use of time allocation is unnecessary
- Paul Manly: The Accessible Canada Act is a step towards a more accessible and inclusive Canada
- Elizabeth May thanks advocacy groups for furthering amendments on the Accessible Canada Act
- Elizabeth May asks what the government is doing to help the Pikangikum First Nation
- Elizabeth May: Trying to protect both refugees and Parks Canada from the omnibus budget bill
- Elizabeth May: "Member's Statements" are for the members, shouldn't be controlled by parties
Press Conference:
- Elizabeth May joins colleagues in the Up For Debate campaign launch: A non-partisan coalition effort to promote women's rights and gender equality in the 2019 federal election campaign
- Newly elected Paul Manly and Elizabeth May unveil the Green Party's 20-point climate plan
Statements and Press Releases
- Elizabeth May unveils Mission: Possible – the Green Climate Action Plan
- Elizabeth May calls out Senate committee for not proceeding with Bill C-48
- Elizabeth May "extremely disappointed" in the B.C. Court of Appeal ruling
- The global Green Wave is gathering momentum, says Elizabeth May
In the News
-
Carol Off interviews Elizabeth May for CBC's As It Happens
(CBC, May 28) -
David Gray interviews Elizabeth May for CBC Calgary
(CBC Calgary, May 28) -
Don Martin interviews Elizabeth May on CTV's Power Play
(CTV, May 27) -
Peter Van Dusen interviews Elizabeth May on CPAC's PrimeTime Politics
(CPAC, May 27) -
Ésther Begin interviews Elizabeth May on CPAC's L'Essentiel
(CPAC, May 27) -
Fanny Lévesque and Mélanie Marquis interview Elizabeth May for La Presse (FR)
(La Presse, May 27) -
Lynda Steele interviews Elizabeth May for Global News' The Lynda Steele Show
(Global News, May 27)
Petitions
MPs present petitions once the deadline for signatures has passed. After presentation in the House, the government has 45 calendar days to table a response.
Elizabeth and Paul presented the following petitions this week:
- Stop the proposed pipeline from a Nova Scotia pulp mill into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
- Protect the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales
- Address violence against Indigenous women and girls
- Provide aid and assistance to Greece for the ongoing refugee crisis
- Take bold, meaningful action on climate change to meet the Paris target
- Implement legislation and policies that promote the equal treatment of women in the workplace
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 Newsletters
September 2018 – Immigration and Refugees
Committees, Briefs and Responses
Submission to Consultation on Amendments to the Corrections and Conditional Release Regulations
Submission to Consultations on the Draft Federal Sustainable Development Strategy
Submission to Fisheries and Oceans Canada on Proposed Regulations on Rebuilding Plans
Submission to the Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Branch on Edible Cannabis
Submission to the Consultations on the Initial Environmental Assessment of the New NAFTA
Submission on the External Review of the Critical Habitat Section for Resident Killer Whales
Private Members' Bills
Elizabeth May has introduced the following bills:
Bill S-203: This bill will outlaw the cruel practice of keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises in captivity.*
Bill C-401: This bill will lower the voting age to 16.
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.
* Indicates that the bill is a Senate Public Bill
Upcoming Events
June 2
June 23