More than 3,000 names are now on a federal ePetition to back a bill by Port Moody-Coquitlam MP Fin Donnelly that calls for the protection of west coast wild salmon.
In October, the NDP MP is expected see second reading of his private member's bill that, if passed, would ban open net-cage fish farms on the west coast.
Donnelly, the party's critic for fisheries, oceans and Canadian Coast Guard, has more than 2,700 names from B.C. attached to his ePetition. And, soon, a celebrity will come forward with an endorsement, he said.
Already, Bill C-228, An Act to amend the Fisheries Act (closed containment aquaculture), has the support of a number of academics, environmentalists, First Nations and high-profile business people such as Yvon Chouinard, founder and CEO of the clothing and gear line Patagonia.
Donnelly is also rallying his Metro Vancouver colleagues — including Liberal MPs Ron McKinnon (Port Coquitlam-Coquitlam) and Pamela Goldsmith-Jones (West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country) — to get on board.
"There's a ton of people who are getting behind this, thinking it's a win-win for wild salmon and for the fish-farming industry," he said, adding, "if the fish-farming industry wants to move forward, closed containment offers them that solution."
Donnelly said he's watching the government in Norway, which this year announced it would transition to closed containment. Its industry, Marine Harvest, is investing $450 million croner in close-containment technology.
The MP said there are 135 salmon farms in B.C. — 85 of which are active. And he believes he may receive resistance for his bill from interior provinces like Ontario that aren't affected by the salmon economy.
Donnelly said his bill only focuses on the west coast as there is more political willingness and, if successful, it could expand to the Atlantic region.
"Bill Taylor, [president] of the Atlantic Salmon Federation, said he wants to see this national," Donnelly said. "He feels this legislation is not just needed on the west coast… If we can get that win on the west coast then, ideally, it would spread to the east coast."
To sign Donnelly's ePetition, visit ow.ly/WSYA303wjT6.
Meanwhile, MP McKinnon's private member's bill, the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, is currently being studied by the health standing committee and will likely go to a report stage debate this fall.
Bill C-224 aims to lift the fear of reporting a drug overdose by providing those who call 911 during an overdose amnesty from being charged with drug possession.
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MP OUTREACH
MP Ron McKinnon will speak on Wednesday in Coquitlam about climate change.
The Liberal representative for Port Coquitlam-Coquitlam will be joined by MP Jonathan Wilkinson, parliamentary secretary to the minister of environment and climate change, to talk about how to reduce emissions, prepare for the impacts of climate change and clean growth.
The meeting is in Room 136 of the Coquitlam Public Library, City Centre branch, at 6:30 p.m. Call 604-927-1080 or email [email protected] to save a seat.
On Sept. 8, McKinnon and MP Terry Beech, parliamentary secretary to the minister of science, will talk about Positioning Canada to Lead: An Inclusive Innovation Agenda.
That discussion starts at 8 a.m. in the River Springs recreation centre (1950 Lodge Dr., Coquitlam). Reservation is also required to attend.
