Latest news with #ElizabethMay
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Born in the U.S., Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says she would 'die for Canada any day of the week'
Yahoo News Canada presents 'My Canada," a series spotlighting Canadians — born-and-raised to brand new — sharing their views on the Canadian dream, national identity, and the triumphs and tribulations that come with life inside and outside these borders. Many may not realize it, but Green Party Leader Elizabeth May isn't Canadian by birth. 'I came to this country as an intentional Canadian,' she says. A family vacation to Cape Breton compelled May's parents to leave their home in Hartford, Connecticut in the late 1960s. At the time, May and her brother were teenagers. 'My father was British so he never really liked living in the U.S.,' she tells me from Ottawa. 'But my mother was from there so he was kind of stuck when he married her.' Advertisement Being on the island inspired the family to make Canada their home. 'My parents decided they didn't want to live in the U.S. anymore,' she says. 'They loved Cape Breton and they loved Canada.' The young May — an activist even back then — recalls having rose-coloured glasses about what she expected Canada would be like. 'I thought it would be perfect because of Pierre Trudeau not wanting to encourage or support the U.S. in the war with Vietnam,' she says. Federal Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, centre, is arrested by RCMP officers after joining protesters outside Kinder Morgan's facility in Burnaby, B.C., on Friday March 23, CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Elizabeth May: Canada's not perfect, but it's 'beautiful in its diversity' Canada wasn't perfect, but it was — and continues to be — quite profoundly, a work in progress. 'I have always loved the Canadian narrative,' May says. 'The U.S. has this notion of a melting pot. Sure they'll put up with immigrants, but they're expected to emerge from that pot homogenized.' In contrast, May fell in love with the imagery of Canada being a mosaic. 'The country is beautiful in its diversity.' She believes what is truly embedded in the fabric of our nation — and what sets us apart — is our community spirit. The ever-environmentalist at heart gives the example of the bravery and community spirit during the Fort McMurray wildfires to illustrate her point: 'I like to contrast the difference between Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Fort McMurray fires in 2016.' As the Hurricane Katrina floods approached New Orleans, as much as half the police department took off in their police cars to protect themselves, asserts May. 'In Fort McMurray [Alberta], not a single first responder left to save themselves. They safely evacuated 80,000 people. They didn't leave anyone behind.' Advertisement Compare this to the reaction of everyday Canadians during the fires. If a car trying to leave Fort McMurray ran out of gas, residents would jump out of their own cars, push it aside, and say: 'Jump in with us!' May says. Canada's Liberal leader Justin Trudeau (L), Green Party leader Elizabeth May (2nd L), New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Thomas Mulcair and Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper (R) pose ahead of the Maclean's National Leaders debate in Toronto, August 6, 2015. Canadians go to the polls in a national election on October 19, 2015. REUTERS/Mark Blinch Elizabeth May on Donald Trump silver lining: 'We're pulling together' Community spirit is often put to the test in times of crisis, and United States President Donald Trump's ongoing tariff threats have done just that. Since he took office early this year, it has only succeeded in invoking a fervent sense of national pride and patriotism. 'If there's one thing Donald Trump has done for which Canadians may want to thank him, it's for bringing [us] together and to stop beating up on the country.' May thinks it's really good to be aware of how lucky we are. 'Our pride in our country is tempered with not the boasting and bullying bravado you get from the U.S., but about gratitude and renewed sense of care and concern for every other Canadian. We may be under threat and menace from Donald Trump, but we're also pulling together.' Elizabeth May. May, who has been the Member of Parliament for Saanich—Gulf Islands since 2011 — that's five election wins in a row — says the Canada-U.S. tensions have changed her perspective on her country of birth. Advertisement 'One of the things it has drawn into sharp focus for us as Canadians is that we've allowed multinational corporations to run our economy for a very long time,' she says. This starts way back when the first industry was based on Canadian trappers and beaver pelts, she says. 'We revolutionized our economy during the Second World War but we have basically allowed ourselves to be an economic colony of the United States. It's not just that we're dependent on them, but we've also allowed them to exploit us.' It doesn't make sense to anyone in the U.S., and it doesn't make sense to Canadians. She never would have imagined a U.S. president who decided his first order of business would be to take on Canada. 'It doesn't make sense to anyone in the U.S., and it doesn't make sense to Canadians,' she says. 'But it's a good wake up call. We have to expand our understanding of how many friends we truly have. You can't just pick one.' But May says she most certainly can 'pick just one' when it comes to love of country — a choice she would make over and over again. ' Advertisement Being Canadian means everything to me, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else,' May proclaims. 'Our values are deeply connected to Canadians like Tommy Douglas who gave universal healthcare, and what Lester B. Pearson did in making us a country known for peacekeeping. We have an amazing reputation around the world.' But we have to live up to these values and not just rest on our laurels, she reminds us. 'I would give up my life for this country any day of the week.'
National Post
24-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Kelly McParland: Carney and Ford race to build as anti-development forces coalesce
Article content Hard to argue with that, but argument, of course, there has been. The act 'is a case study in how not to engage with Indigenous nations,' complained Chief Lance Haymond of the Kebaowek First Nation. It's 'a naked power grab that tramples our democracy,' according to the Toronto Star. 'Not even Harper tried to rev up a bulldozer like this,' asserted Elizabeth May, Parliament's sole Green member, who's always keen to get in a shot at her much-more successful political rival. Article content The bill was approved with the support of the Opposition Conservatives, which was enough in itself to upset 'progressives.' Added to Carney's wholesale adoption of other Conservative aims — a cancelled carbon tax, tax cuts, tougher borders, immigration reform — it threatened an outbreak of partisan dysphoria among the part of the populace that's accustomed to ensuring nothing constructive ever gets done. May, for one, fears the collaboration might continue, as if constructive co-operation between two parties that are supported by 85 per cent of voters would be bad for the country. Article content Article content Unlike Ford, though, Carney appears not to be the apologizing type. He's more the 'let's get serious with our accusations' type. Responding to the outpouring of complaints, he noted that, 'Consultation, co-operation, engagement, participation is at the heart of C-5 and that is how you build a nation.' The bill not only aims to support Indigenous partnerships, 'but also to finance equity ownership in these nation-building projects for Indigenous peoples, Indigenous groups, Indigenous rights holders.' Article content Right off the top, the bill states that, 'The government of Canada is committed to respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples recognized and affirmed by Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and the rights set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.' Article content Clearly that isn't enough to convince 'progressives' who voted in the Liberals but don't trust them to keep their word even when it's written into legislation. You can't really blame them given how often the previous Liberal government broke its word, ignored the rules and bound itself to promises it showed no intention of keeping. Many of those same promise-breakers are now senior members of Carney's cabinet. Article content Article content Learning to deal with the country's large and firmly embedded barriers to progress is something Carney will have to master. Canada didn't get to this position of lethargy and blockage accidentally; it took the determined efforts of armies of professional adversaries and disputants over an extended period. A single bill, no matter how optimistically titled, isn't going to turn the tide against decades of obstructionism. Article content The doubts of Native-Canadians arise from centuries of bad experiences with untrustworthy governments. Carney could have saved himself some trouble if he'd paused his sprint to a self-imposed legislative deadline to better address their concerns. As it was, he spent much of the news conference following the act's passage responding to pointed questions about those concerns and pledging to spend a good chunk of the summer meeting with Indigenous leaders to make up for the misstep. Article content May's concerns about the dangers of co-operation aside, surveys suggest Carney and Ford remain in favour. Ford was recently rated as the country's most popular Conservative, ahead of seatless federal leader Pierre Poilievre. Popularity in politics is fleeting, however, and needs to be used wisely while it lasts. It appears they share an understanding of their situation, which would explain the sense of hurry in Ottawa and Toronto to get something done while they still have the chance. Article content Article content Article content
National Observer
20-06-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
Bill C-5 passes the House of Commons vote after accelerated process
The federal government's controversial Bill C-5 is off to the Senate next week for a truncated study. Opposition parties amended the proposed legislation to ensure the government cannot override certain laws (including the Indian Act, Canada Labour Code and Criminal Code) but most environmental law and regulations can still be circumvented if a project is deemed 'in the national interest.' The bill would grant cabinet the power to override laws and regulations to get major projects built. In a marathon committee meeting Wednesday evening, the Bloc Québécois and Conservatives worked together to increase transparency and reporting requirements in the bill and prevent the government from overriding more than a dozen laws. But the government can still override important environmental statutes including the Fisheries Act, Species at Risk Act, Canadian Navigable Waters Act, Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Migratory Birds Convention Act and Impact Assessment Act. The same goes for regulations including Wildlife Area Regulations, Marine Mammal Regulations, two migratory birds regulations as well as port and mining effluent regulations. MPs had their last chance to amend the bill Friday afternoon in the House of Commons. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May tried to add the Species at Risk Act to the list of laws cabinet cannot override. The Liberals and Conservatives defeated May's motion, with Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith breaking rank and voting with the Bloc Québécois, Green Party and NDP. Erskine-Smith has been critical of Bill C-5 and previously voted against his own government's order to limit debate on the bill, which would also remove some federal barriers to internal trade. The Liberals and Conservatives voted together not just on the bill itself, but also on a motion to ensure the bill cleared the House of Commons before MPs leave Ottawa for the summer. Parliament will resume sitting in mid-September. MPs ended up voting on the bill in two parts, as originally requested by the Bloc Québécois. NDP MP Jenny Kwan made the request again today, and the Speaker of the House decided to split the bill into two different votes — one on the internal trade components and one on national interest projects — both of which passed. 'This legislation is an abomination' The Bloc Québécois, NDP and Green Party say the major projects bill is undemocratic because of the unprecedented powers it grants cabinet and lack of respect for Indigenous rights. The Chiefs of Ontario and many Indigenous leaders mobilized on Wednesday for a rally on Parliament Hill calling on Carney's government to drop bill C-5 and do it right this time. On June 16, Sen. Paul Prosper said he plans on putting forward an amendment to slow C-5 down if and when it gets to the Senate in 'hopes that more rational minds prevail in terms of consulting with Indigenous groups.' Elizabeth May, in the bill's final moments before the House of Commons, reiterated what many have said since it was introduced: that the speed of the bill and the vagueness of its application means much now rests on what exactly the government decides to do with it. 'There are many great projects … I'd love to see move ahead: east-west-north-south electricity grid, a passenger rail and bus interlinked system,' she said. 'There are many projects in the national interest, but we don't know what they will be and the factors in the bill are not requirements. We could have a great project that we all want to see go ahead — or we could have a nightmare." In the end, May — the sole MP to vote against both parts of the bill — did not mince words. 'This legislation is an abomination and one that will be a stain on the reputation of this government and of our Prime Minister.'
Vancouver Sun
17-06-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Major projects bill to be swiftly studied in committee after Conservatives vote to fast-track it
OTTAWA — The minority Liberal government's major projects bill is headed to a House of Commons committee to be studied on Tuesday and Wednesday, after the Conservatives voted to fast-track the legislation and for it to pass second reading late Monday evening. Around 11:40 p.m. on Monday, C-5 was adopted at second reading in the House of Commons by 304-29 votes. The Liberals and Conservatives voted in favour of the bill, with only the Bloc Québécois, the NDP and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May voting against. C-5 would give the federal government sweeping powers for five years to quickly approve natural resource and infrastructure projects once they are deemed to be in the national interest, as well as break down internal trade barriers and labour mobility issues. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. According to the motion that was adopted to fast-track the legislation before Canada Day, the bill is referred to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities where members will hear from witnesses and amend the legislation. That process is expected to last two days. On Tuesday afternoon, the committee will be hearing from Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, representatives from manufacturers and business groups as well as law professors. The list of witnesses who will be testifying on Wednesday was not yet available, but the meeting is expected to spill well into the evening. Still according to the fast-tracking motion, the committee's report is set to be presented to the House on Thursday and the vote at third and final reading will likely happen on Friday — the last calendar day before all MPs will be going back to their ridings for the summer. In parallel, the Senate is currently conducting a pre-study of C-5. Senators heard from Transport and Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland on Monday, will be hearing from Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty on Tuesday and other officials on Wednesday. The Senate would ensure a final vote on C-5 takes place on June 27, at the latest. However, at least one Senator is determined to delay the more contentious portion of the bill. Paul Prosper, a former AFN regional chief for Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, said he would be putting forward an amendment to slow down the process with respect to the major projects section of C-5. On Monday, Prosper said he will be doing that 'in hopes that more rational minds prevail in terms of consulting with Indigenous groups.' National Post calevesque@ Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here . Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
17-06-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Major projects bill to be swiftly studied in committee after Conservatives vote to fast-track it
Article content OTTAWA — The minority Liberal government's major projects bill is headed to a House of Commons committee to be studied on Tuesday and Wednesday, after the Conservatives voted to fast-track the legislation and for it to pass second reading late Monday evening. Around 11:40 p.m. on Monday, C-5 was adopted at second reading in the House of Commons by 304-29 votes. The Liberals and Conservatives voted in favour of the bill, with only the Bloc Québécois, the NDP and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May voting against.
