Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition on behalf of Vancouver Islanders from Nanoose Bay, Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Coombs, who are seeing more and more plastic washing upon our shores and infecting the very marine species we rely on for our food security and to sustain ourselves.
I am honoured to table this petition. Petitioners are calling on the government to create regulations aimed at reducing plastic debris discharge, industrial use of microplastics; permanent, dedicated and annual funding for the cleanup of derelict fishing gear; community-led projects to clean up plastics and marine debris on our shores to mitigate the impact this plastic is having on our ecosystem; education and outreach campaigns on the root causes and negative environmental effects of plastic pollution; and most of all, to redesign the plastic economy. They are calling on the Government of Canada to adopt my motion, Motion No. M-151, to establish a national strategy to combat plastic pollution from entering our waterways.