The South Shore took centre stage in Parliament yesterday.
MP Bernadette Jordan presented Bill M-40 which proposes legislation that would make it easier to prosecute owners of derelict vessels.
It was the first time she’s raised a motion on the floor since being elected.
She says she was surprisingly calm when she stood up to read her speech.
“I felt pretty confident. Simply because I feel like I know the subject matter now inside and out,” she says. “I’ve learned an awful lot about derelict vessels in the last little while.”
Jordan says she couldn’t be more pleased with the response in the House of Commons.
“The thing that was most exciting was that members from the Conservative Party and members from the NDP have both spoken out in favour of the bill,” she says. “So, it looks like we have all party support.”
M-40 was the last private bill to be debated before the summer break so the second reading will have to wait until they reconvene this fall.
But Jordan is confident the bill will eventually pass.
Help me raise awareness on Abandoned and Derelict Vessels, and my private members motion #M40.https://t.co/bZgShn8I3s
— Bernadette Jordan (@BernJordanMP) May 16, 2016
Meanwhile, that support didn’t come without some reservations.
Sheila Malcolmson, MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith in B.C., doesn’t think the motion goes far enough.
“While I support this motion, it won’t help coastal communities as fast as we need,” she says, “a legislated solution binding future governments will. So, I hope the Liberal government will bring in full legislation.”
She would like see the motion amended to allow authorities to dismantle abandoned vessels.
The amendment was rejected in an effort to keep costs down and make sure resources are being used in the most effective way.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story called the motion “Bill C-40”
