IN THE NEWS - iPolitics - 'People are dying': National standards delayed as talks continue over $4.5-billion mental health transfer

IN THE NEWS - 2021 MV Zim Kingston Spill Investigation Released

The Transporation Safety Board is calling on the federal government for more urgent action to keep oceans and shorelines safe from similar marine emergencies. Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns shares his reaction to the findings.

"There's no confidence by coastal people that there's a sense of urgency from the Government of Canada to come up with a coordinated plan."  

IN THE NEWS- NDP MP Gord Johns supports lightstations being open

The Canadian Coast Guard, part of the federal Fisheries Department, has announced it is planning to remove a total of four lightkeepers from two stations, one at Pachena Point and the other at Carmanah Point, both on the West Coast Trail. 

A meeting between Fishers and Oceans Canada staff and MP Gord Johns, is planned for early in the coming week to talk about destaffing plans for two lightstations off the west coast of Vancouver Island. 

“When we hear [of] incidents happening, lightkeepers are ­­front and centre,” Johns said. “They are the first to respond in terms of helping support the overall response” which can include the coast guard and CFB Comox.

United Nations' International Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution

Ottawa- 

Today is the eve of the fourth session of the United Nations’ International Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The session will take place in Ottawa, hosted by Canada.

This morning, I spoke to reporters from the Press Gallery about my motion to take action against plastic waste exports. Motion M-120 seeks to close loopholes that allow Canada to export plastic waste through the United States to developing countries which are ill-equipped to deal with them sustainably. I was joined by Jim Puckett (executive director and founder of Basel Action Network), Pui Yi Wong (Basel Action Network in Malaysia), Lilly Woodbury (regional manager at Surfrider Foundation Canada), and Chloé Dubois (executive director and co-Founder of The Ocean Legacy Foundation).

This news conference also coincides with Earth Day, with this year's theme of "Planet vs. Plastics" aiming to raise awareness of the damage caused by plastic pollution.

In 2018, my motion (M-151) for a national strategy to combat ocean plastics passed unanimously in the House of Commons with all-party support. It led to the banning of single use plastics by the Government and yet there is much more to do.

To watch the entire press conference on CPAC, go here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=50cJwHuZThI