NDP URGES GOVERNMENT FOR LESS TALK AND MORE ACTION ON OCEAN PLASTICS

June 06, 2018

OTTAWA – To mark World Environment Day, NDP MP Gord Johns (Courtenay-Alberni) delivered a petition to the office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change just days ahead of the G7 meeting in Quebec. The petition, hosted online by SumOfUs, has been signed by over 105,000 Canadians in support of Johns’ motion, M-151: a national strategy to combat plastic pollution in our aquatic environments. Johns was joined in delivering the petition by Amelia Meister, Campaign Consultant at SumOfUs.

View video of the petition delivery HERE: https://www.facebook.com/GordJohnsMP/

“Vancouver Island is Ground Zero for ocean plastics,” said Johns. “From organizing beach cleanups to offering substitutions for plastic straws in cafes and restaurants, Canadians are calling on the federal government to act immediately and ban single-use plastics.”

Single-use plastics are a part of everyday life and around eighty percent of all plastic in the ocean comes from land-based sources. Ninety-five percent of single-use plastics, such as coffee lids, plastic bags, and plastic drinking straws are used once and discarded.

"SumOfUs members in Canada are demanding immediate action on the plastics crisis,” said Meister. “Canadians toss out a massive amount of plastic made by corporations every year, including almost 3 billion plastic bags. Much of this plastic ends up in the ocean where it causes serious harm to marine animals. Motion M-151 would help tackle plastic pollution at its source, especially targeting single-use plastics, and provide much-needed funding for shoreline and ocean clean-up."

The Prime Minister has announced that Canada will lead a discussion at the G7 meeting on the reduction of plastic pollution in our waters. Following the petition delivery, Johns rose in the House of Commons during Question Period to ask the Prime Minister about the Government’s strategy for action on ocean plastics.

A poll published today by Abacus Data indicated that one-third of Canadians agreed that plastic garbage in our waterways is one of the most important environmental issues.