FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MP DARREN FISHER MOVES FORWARD ON TWO PIECES OF LEGISLATION IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Dartmouth, NS (November 25th, 2016) Dartmouth-Cole Harbour Member of Parliament Darren Fisher will speak at 3rd Reading this Monday, November 28th on Bill C-238 “A National Strategy for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Disposal of Lamps Containing Mercury Act.”
Fisher’s Private Member’s Bill has moved forward quickly in the House- passing unanimously with amendments at the Committee Stage.
All parties which spoke to the Bill have supported it thus far.
“I’m deeply humbled by the all-party support I’ve received so far. To have someone like Elizabeth May joint-second your Private Member’s Bill really matters. I’ve appreciated the comments from members across the House- Canadians expect us to work together” says Fisher.
Canadians are throwing fluorescent light bulbs into landfills daily. The bulbs contain mercury- a neurotoxin and can be recycled. It takes only 0.5 milligrams of mercury to pollute 180 tonnes of water.
“Canadian Municipalities are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on landfill cells. These bulbs can be recycled by local facilities like Dan-X Recycling in Burnside. Diverting these dangerous but valuable bulbs makes sense.”
Bill C-238 calls for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to work with all interested and appropriate governments (including Indigenous,) persons and organizations to develop a national strategy for the safe and environmentally sound disposal of mercury bearing lamps.
After visiting with a delegation from the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Nova Scotia and a conversation with Dartmouth Senator Jane Cordy, MP Darren Fisher is sponsoring Bill S-211 in the House of Commons.
Bill S-211- An Act Respecting June 19th as National Sickle Cell Awareness Day” is up for 2nd Reading on
Thursday, December 1st.
Fisher says that he’s “thrilled to have the opportunity to sponsor Senator Cordy’s Bill S-211 in the House.” And that “until meeting with a delegation from the Sickle Cell Association of Nova Scotia I had no idea that SCD was the most common genetic disease in the world.”
Bills C-238 and S-211 have been received positively throughout the legislative process thus far.
“It’s my job to bring the voices and great ideas from the folks back home to Ottawa. I’ve only been an MP for about a year but as soon as I could, my team and I hit the ground running working on these issues.”
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For more information contact:
Megan Blumenthal
Parliamentary Assistant & Communications Adviser
613-295-8736