Week in Review: November 26 – 30
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 you may have heard, this week Elizabeth shared some exciting news about her engagement to John Kidder. You can send Elizabeth and John your best wishes by clicking here. If you would like to read more about Elizabeth’s engagement, have a look this piece in Chatelaine.
On top of Elizabeth’s exciting personal news, this week in Ottawa she was hard at work continuing to advocate on a wide range of issues. In addition to the regularly scheduled business, the House of Commons held two emergency debates this week. The first focused on the tragic announcement that General Motors will be closing their plant in Oshawa and the second focused on ways to better support the Canadian oil and gas sector. In Question Period, Elizabeth continued to push the Prime Minister to improve Canada’s climate targets to fall in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 1.5° report.
This week Bill S-203, Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act (also known as the Free Willy Bill) had its first hour of debate in the House. Thanks to the hard work of countless individuals, Sean Casey – Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, announced that “this government [will] support the ban on the captivity of cetaceans for the sole purpose of display.” While there is still much work to be done, the announcement from the government that they will be supporting this important piece of legislation is a welcome step in the right direction.
In committee this week Elizabeth submitted 43 amendments for Bill C-83, which proposes to end solitary confinement. Four were accepted – three requiring the use of “least restrictive measures” in federal correctional facilities, and one to involve support persons as well family members in patient advocacy services for prisoners. Two additional amendments prompted official recommendations for further study under Correctional Services Canada. Elizabeth will be watching closely as the committee works with Minister Goodale to deliver on a promise to implement an independent external oversight process across all federal correctional facilities.
Next week will be Elizabeth’s last week in the House of Commons before she heads to Katowice, Poland to participate in the international climate change negotiations (COP24) as a member of the Canadian delegation.
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
Question Period:
Bill S-203:
Emergency Debate:
- Questions on the closure of the Oshawa General Motors plant
- Speech on the closure of the Oshawa General Motors plant
- How can we support the Canadian oil and gas sector while bringing in clean energy?
Adjournment Proceedings:
Statements and Press Releases
In the News
- ‘Free Willy’ bill lands Liberal support in the House
(iPolitics, Holly Lake, November 29)
- ‘Free Willy’ bill makes its House debut as Elizabeth May kicks off opening debate
(iPolitics, Kady O’Malley, November 29)
- Elizabeth May says party leaders coming together on Francophone in Ontario ‘symbolic’ but more needed
(Global News, November 28)
- Trudeau’s meeting with party leaders on French-language rights ends without results
(CBC News, Peter Zimonijic, November 28)
- Elizabeth May on Prime Time Politics with Peter Van Dusen
Elizabeth is on at the 17-minute mark
(CPAC, Peter Van Dusen, November 28)
- Elizabeth May: Would Canadian politicians have fallen over themselves to save the horse and buggy?
(National Observer, Elizabeth May, November 27)
- Facebook Live: Mike De Souza with Elizabeth May
(National Observer, Mike De Souza, November 27)
Petitions
This week Elizabeth presented the following petitions:
National Poverty Strategy: calling on the House of Commons to develop a national poverty strategy to ensure no Canadian has to live in poverty
Bill S-203: calling on the House of Commons to support preventing the keeping of whales and dolphins in captivity
Organ Trafficking: calling on the House of Commons to support both Bill C-350 and Bill S-240
Human Rights: calling on the House of Commons to commemorate the 1937 Nanjing Massacre with the Nanjing Massacre commemorative day
Note:
Elizabeth presents petitions once the deadline for signatures has passed. After presentation in the House, the government has 45 calendar days to table a response.
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 Newsletter
September 2018 – Immigration and Refugees
Committees, Briefs and Responses
Submission on the External Review of the Critical Habitat Section for Resident Killer Whales
Submission to the Consultations on an Amendment to Aquaculture Regulation
Submission to the Transport Canada Parliamentary Consultation
Submission to the Consultations on the Federal Carbon Pricing System
Submission to the Consultations on the Federal Leaders’ Debates
Submission to the Consultations on Health Canada’s Proposed Approach to the Regulation of Cannabis
Submission to the Consultations on the Proposed Excise Duty Framework for Cannabis Products
Submission to the Canada-Pacific Trade Consultations
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
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
December 8 – 15, 2018