Issues & Community Blog - Andrew Weaver: A Climate for Hope - Page 172

Applications are now being accepted for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia’s Summer Tour Guide Program. Each year, post-secondary students from across Canada are invited to participate in the program as Tour Guides and Parliamentary Players, bringing parliamentary procedure and British Columbian history to life for many students and visitors.

Summer Tour Guides present tours that interpret British Columbia’s political history, legislative process, and the art and architecture of the Parliament Buildings. Applicants must be enrolled at an accredited post-secondary institution with public speaking experience and the ability to communicate fluently in English and a second language.

Parliamentary Players shine a light on important historical characters and events that helped to define our province. Dressed in period costumes, the Parliamentary Players appear on tours and deliver lively, historically accurate monologues. Applicants must be enrolled at an accredited post-secondary institution with theatrical experience and be able to convincingly portray historical characters and creatively ad-lib with visitors.

For more information about the program or to apply to be a Summer Tour Guide or Parliamentary Player, please click here.

Today we had a critical vote concerning the government’s proposed LNG industry.

Both the NDP and the Liberals voted to move Bill 6 – the Liquefied Natural Gas Income Tax Act to committee stage. In doing so, they voted for what I believe is ultimately a Generational Sell-out – one which will cost us the opportunity to forge a new path to develop a 21st century economy for British Columbia.

I stood alone and voted against this bill because it is fundamentally irresponsible.

The government and the official opposition are going all-in on an LNG industry despite a highly competitive market that is many steps ahead of us here in B.C. To catch up, this Bill offers a suite of tax deductions, exemptions and ultimately taxpayer funded rebates to entice industry to invest here. The hope is that we will be able to buy ourselves an LNG industry.

What I worry about is how much it will cost our province. If the bill passes, we will essentially be giving away our natural gas resources in order to fulfill the Liberal government’s desperate and hyperbolic election promise.

Instead of this pipedream, we have an opportunity to pursue a truly 21st century economy, with new investments into education and social services, a focus on new and emerging industries already found in our Province, and taking legitimate steps forward to address our contributions to climate change.

The passage of this Bill does not mean the province will crumble. However, this approach to our economy risks passing on a substantial debt to the next generation – forcing them to bear the consequences and the costs of our inaction today. This is not leadership.

I will continue to advance the only alternative that has been offered to the government’s plans: my vision of a diversified, sustainable 21st century economy–one that will serve today’s generation without burdening generations to come.

The Vote

Today I met with the Honourable Norm Letnick, Minister of Agriculture, as a follow-up to the question I raised in the Legislature last week as to whether or not the province would be prepared to introduce legislation to ban the sale, trade and distribution of shark fins in British Columbia.

It was a very fruitful meeting and the Minister tasked me with putting together a package of information that he would commit to passing along to Ministry staff for a thorough review. The review is to be evidence-based, which is precisely what I had hoped for.

I have already tabled a legal opinion that concludes that the provincial government has the power to ban the sale, trade and distribution of shark fins in B.C.  At this stage, the information that I plan to put together is as follows:

• Annotated bibliography (with original papers) revealing the plight of global shark populations;
• List of jurisdictions worldwide that have banned the sale, trade and distribution of shark fins in British Columbia;
• Relevant media clippings from British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California and other jurisdictions concerning the process and subsequent public reaction to the banning of the sale, trade and distribution of shark fins;
• Evidence concerning internationally protected shark species.

While I have been following this issue for a few years, I recognize that there are many in the community who have far greater knowledge on this topic than I do, including internationally-renown scientist, Dr. Julia Baum, at the University of Victoria. Should you have relevant information in any of these areas, I would be delighted if you would please share it with me by emailing me at: Andrew.Weaver.MLA@leg.bc.ca

My goal is to get a complete package to the Minister by the end of the week.

Header Photo Credit: Rob Stewart, Director, Sharkwater.

After nine days of debate, Bill 2 – The Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting and Control Act, finally passed committee stage and the Bill will receive Royal Assent shortly. As I mentioned earlier, Bill 2 will lock us into a path of increasing greenhouse gas emissions, while foregoing the development of a truly diversified and sustainable 21st century economy.

During second reading I spoke passionately against the bill, arguing that it represents a betrayal of future generations. I highlighted the fact that the bill replaced British Columbia’s continent leading greenhouse gas reduction policies with a made-in-Alberta, Harper government approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions intensity.

During the days of debate I moved a hoist amendment that called for the bill to be delayed by 6 months to give MLAs and the public more time to scrutinize it. The amendment was defeated.

During committee stage I asked numerous questions to explore the consequences of implementing Bill 2. I probed the government’s rationale for dismantling its previous climate policies.  And I proposed several amendments to the Bill to improve its clarity but all were defeated.

In one final attempt to provide clarity to British Columbians about what the bill was really doing, I moved an amendment to change the title from:

Greenhouse gas industrial reporting and control act
to
Greenhouse gas increase and industrial reporting act

As you will see from Hansard (reproduced below), the rationale for introducing this amendment was to make it clear what the bill will actually do. The title of the bill suggests that there is going to be a control on industrial emissions. This is not the case. The control is only going to be on industrial emissions intensity. That is, instead of reducing carbon pollution, the bill just allows industrial emitters to pollute more efficiently. I was hoping to make the bill transparent in that it was providing for an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

A. Weaver: At this stage I’d like to move an amendment:

[TITLE, by deleting the text shown as struck out and adding the text shown as underlined:

BILL 2 – 2014

GREENHOUSE GAS INCREASE AND INDUSTRIAL REPORTING AND CONTROL ACT]

We had in this debate, at third reading, a number of amendments put forward to try to improve the legislation. They’ve all been defeated. We’ve just had the most recent amendment put forward by the member for Vancouver–West End — a nice amendment that was designed specifically to make this the cleanest LNG in the world.

In framing a title, it’s very, very critical that the title actually reflect the legislation that it is actually representing. What we have here is a title that says Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting and Control Act. The reality is there is no control in the greenhouse gas emissions associated with this act, so the amendment that I put forward is to change the title to the greenhouse gas increase and industrial reporting act, as I submitted and put on notice a couple of days ago.

The Vote

Media Statement: November 20, 2014
Pushing for a Ban on Sale, Trade and Distribution of Shark Fins in British Columbia.
For immediate release
 
Victoria, B.C. – Today in question period the Minister of Agriculture committed to meeting with Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head and Deputy Leader of the B.C. Green Party, to discuss how the province of British Columbian could end the sale, trade and distribution of shark fins in British Columbia.

Shark finning typically involves cutting off a shark’s fins and throwing their still-live bodies back into the water. Finned sharks then suffer a slow, grueling death through starvation, drowning or gradual predation.

“Scientific research clearly demonstrates that shark finning is a major reason for the declining shark populations worldwide” says Andrew Weaver. “Many of these iconic species are now at risk of extinction.”

In 2012 CTV News reported that 76 percent of DNA-tested dried shark fins purchased in Vancouver fell on the threatened or endangered red list published by the United Nations International Union for Conservation of Nature. Those samples also indicated the presence of great hammerhead and porbeagle fins, both of which are now classified as endangered species by the UN Convention on International Trade, to which Canada is a party.

“This issue was brought to me by a group of young, engaged students who are deeply concerned about what’s going on,” said Weaver. “We now have an opportunity for the provincial government to take leadership and demonstrate to these of children that they are responsive to their concerns.”

Twelve municipalities in B.C. have banned shark fins in their jurisdictions while all restaurants in Victoria have taken shark fin soup off their menus. Many other restaurants throughout the province have taken similar steps, yet shark fins continue to be bought and sold around the province.

In conjunction with his question, Dr. Weaver tabled a legal opinion that states that British Columbia has the authority to ban the sale, trade and distribution of shark fins through constitutional provisions.

“This issue is often perceived to be something that only the federal government can act on in a serious way” said Andrew Weaver. “However, I received legal advice that there are concrete steps that can be taken by this government to end this practice. I am pleased to see the government shares my concerns and has agreed to meet to discuss how we can go about ending this practice.”

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Media Contact
Mat Wright – Press Secretary, Andrew Weaver MLA
Mat.Wright@leg.bc.ca
Cell: 1 250 216 3382