UPDATE 3:40 PM BC Parliament - Minister McRea SAID he was going to amend this bill, but all he did was put it on the paper, he never actually stood to bring it forward. He told the media he was making an amendment and didn't, so if this passes, I remain at risk of two years in prison for making any fighter disease results public.
This Bill may go against the constitution of Canada
The Public Health Association of BC has been contacted to review the implications of this for public health safety
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/McRae+considers+rewording+Animal+Health/6693069/story.html
However - think about this - why would he even want to silence the people on the front lines of epidemics? He says he is doing this to encourage farmers to report disease. Why not just make a law to make farmers report disease.
"So you can’t say what, you can’t say where and you can’t say who is responsible."
In a recent letter from Lana Popham NDP Agriculture Critic McRea says:
McRea....if a person involved in the media, an independent scientist or the general public were to inquire to the individual farmer about a test's results and the individual farmer wished to share them, he or she would be more than able to do so. If the farmer were to provide consent to the ministry, we would also be able to provide that information.
L. Popham: Well, that's the minister's interpretation, but I think that section 16 creates an obligation for the person to refuse to give information. In fact, that's exactly the point. If they don't refuse, they could be incarcerated; they could be charged. I mean, there are severe penalties for disclosure of this information.
Download Bill 37 Critic Response.docx (17.3K)
We are headed to the BC legislature in Victoria to see this thing come down, I hope you will considered joining us and/or writing to McRae or Lana Popham
The proceedings will be broadcast
The Legislative Assembly will be sitting:
Tuesday 10:00am- 12 noon, 1:30-6:30
Wednesday 1:30 - 9:00
Thursday 10:00-12 noon, 1:30-6:00
Write your newspaper, comment here, write the Premier, be heard or many of us will be silenced about the viruses seeping through our marine waters today.
