Pass Historic M-151 Policy

On December 5th, 2018 Canada's house of commons voted unanimously in favour of M-151: a national strategy to combat marine plastic pollution, marking an historic moment in Canadian plastic politics. This ground breaking success is testament to the tireless efforts of the organizations and individuals who partnered in delivering this to parliament. he bill was first developed by Courtney-Alberni MP, Gord Johns who’s district represents portions of Vancouver Island. MP Johns proposed the motion in the aftermath of the Hanjin disaster which brought to light what he described as “a regulatory and legislative void” when it comes to dealing with marine debris. 

In November 2016, thirty-five shipping containers fell from the Hanjin Seattle and spilled their contents into the mouth of the Juan de Fuca strait, spewing debris over the surrounding beaches; but the lack of a federal framework to deal with this kind of emergency left local first nations and organizations in the Vancouver Island Marine Debris Working Group to pick up the tab. Not only does the bill aim to create dedicated, annual funding for community led clean ups including the removal of derelict fishing gear, it also calls for a raft of measures to address plastic pollution at its source. It recognizes that, though clean-ups are an essential starting place for ocean health, the only effective way to reduce the amount of plastic on our beaches and in our water is to moderate our consumption of plastic products. A number of the proposed measures address this objective, such as promoting public education and outreach campaigns, regulating the use of single-use plastics, and extending producer responsibility by holding manufacturers accountable for the pollution they generate, thus incentivizing the redesign of plastic products. It also aims to reduce the industrial use of micro-plastic, particles less than 5mm in diameter.