Evidence of meeting #138 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was version.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Mr. Ken McDonald (Avalon, Lib.)
On proposed new clause 7, amendment LIB-4, Mr. Finnigan.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Chair, I'm sure this is just an oversight on the part of the drafter, but I believe it's important to allow businesses and marine research organizations a chance to comply with the new law after it has been passed. I know that Marineland has asked for more a year, but I think 12 months is a reasonable time frame.
As you heard from the Marineland testimony, they are concerned about cetaceans that are currently pregnant and those that could be pregnant just before this bill becomes law. The intent here is to ensure that the owners of cetaceans that become pregnant prior to passage of Bill S-203 are not considered to commit a crime simply by owning, having the custody of, or control of a cetacean that is born to a cetacean that was lawfully pregnant before the act.
We propose that Bill S-203 be amended by adding after line 3 on page 4 the following new clause:
Coming into Force
7. This Act comes into force on the first anniversary of the day on which it receives royal assent.
Niagara Falls, CPC
Mr. Chair, if you don't mind, I'd like to propose a subamendment to that and I'm sure this will be well received by the committee, “That this act come into force on January 1, 2021.”
The reason for that is if this bill comes into effect in the next month or so, the pregnancy period of these cetaceans is, many times, about 18 months. If you're going to ask them to start splitting up, as they do in a place such as Marineland, where you have to start separating them all so none of them gets pregnant, that will be the law and that's fine. However, for those times that the whale or dolphin is pregnant already, they need 18 months, so we don't want to have a situation where charges are being laid because a cetacean is born 14 or 15 months from now.
That would be helpful. It wouldn't be inconsistent with the intent of the bill, but it would come into effect on January 1, 2021.
That is my subamendment.
Mr. Ken McDonald (Avalon, Lib.)
Okay. We have heard the amendment and the subamendment. The difference is that the subamendment gives a definite date of January 1, 2021.
(Subamendment negatived)
(Amendment negatived)
Shall the short title carry?
Mr. Ken McDonald (Avalon, Lib.)
It's done. Thank you.
Hearing no further business—
Liberal
