Today marked the second last day of our session, and the third reading and concurrence of both the Democratic Renewal Act, the Personal Liberty Act, Natural Resource Management Act, and the Family Law Act. There was fierce debate on all of the bills and the votes all required standing votes for they were so close.
The members felt that in the Democratic Renewal Act (written by the Minister of Human Resources, Maarit Tymchyshyn) the punishment did not fit the crime, and it violated Canadians fundmental rights by instituting mandatory voting with a punishment of having their citizenship taken away for offenders. It was defeated with 26 votes against the bill, 19 for the bill, and one abstention.
The members of the house, in a shockingly libertarian debate, felt that the Personal Liberty Act (written by the Registrar General, Andrew Jones) was a fine example of the freedoms which all Canadians should be able to enjoy. They voted to pass the act which would legalize victimless crimes such as prostitution, drug use, and indecent exposure that do not negatively affect the public. It was passed with 28 votes for the bill, 17 against it, and 2 abstentions.
The Natural Resource Act (written by the Minister of Finance, Brent Hardy), which insisted that all Canadian companies institute eco-friendly initiatives if they are concerned with our natural resources. Successful companies would be rewarded with tax cuts, and companies who could not follow these regulations would be fined or even shut down for repeated infractions. The bill was passed with 32 for it, 15 against it, and 2 abstentions.
The Family Law Act (written by the Minister of Labour, Janelle Roche) would rework the family law system by making children have a stronger voice in the Canadian court system in reference to custody battles and wards of state. The members voted for this bill with 32 in favour, 11 against, and 4 abstentions.
Today, being the last second day of debate, was a full day containing great progress. Tomorrow will see the third reading and concurrence of the final two bills of 89th Youth Parliament of Manitoba. Check back tomorrow for the final post for this year’s Winter Session as well as the results of the election for the 90th Youth Parliament of Manitoba. Stay tuned!