Elizabeth May

Background

From her early years as an environmental activist, struggling financially while waiting tables at the family restaurant in Cape Breton, to her work as a single mom amplifying the voices of underprivileged communities to the halls of power, she has been a trailblazer for generations of Canadian women and activists.

She has always stood on principle—resigning in 1988 when her Environment Minister boss broke the law, and stepping down as Senior Policy Advisor despite numerous successes, including the 1987 Montreal Protocol that saved the ozone layer. She was the only MP to intervene at the NEB against the pipeline, facing arrest in March 2018 protesting TMX.

Landmark Work

Environmental Racism

Elizabeth was the first Canadian environmentalist to identify how environmental racism caused marginalized people to be exposed to unacceptable threats to their health. Elizabeth used her legal training and resources to assist Indigenous peoples in Canada and around the world.

When legal and political avenues failed to yield results, Elizabeth put her body, safety and well-being on the line. In May 2001, she went on a seventeen-day hunger strike in front of Parliament Hill protesting toxic conditions for the only predominantly Black community on Cape Breton Island, near the infamous Sydney Tar Ponds. That work led directly to C-226, her Private Members Bill (PMB) on Environmental Racism. 

Lyme Disease

Elizabeth May recognized the growing range for the black-legged tick that carries Lyme disease due to climate change, and the increase in people suffering from Lyme disease. With new cases being found across Canada, and thousands now afflicted, Lyme disease is rapidly becoming a national crisis. With endorsement and support from the Canadian Medical Association, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, Elizabeth passed Bill C-442, the National Lyme Disease Strategy Act. 

Bill C-442 is a vital step towards addressing this health crisis by establishing a framework for collaboration between the federal, provincial and territorial ministers, representatives of the medical community and patients’ groups to promote greater awareness and prevention of Lyme disease, address the challenges of timely diagnosis and treatment, and to push for further research.

End the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins

Elizabeth’s longtime passion for animal rights led to her sponsorship of Bill S-203, the End Captivity of Whales and Dolphins act, also known as the Free Willy act. Bill S-203 was supported by a coalition of over 20 leading marine scientists, Animal Justice, Humane Canada, the federation of SPCAs and Humane Societies, Humane Society International/Canada, and marine scientists. It was a landmark victory for the Green Party, and for animal rights, being the second piece of legislation to become law under the Green Party of Canada.