Thanks, Mark.
Certainly it was a pleasure for us to deliver AgriStability and AgriRecovery on behalf of Cape Breton farmers when they had some flood problems this year. I know you were instrumental in making sure that someone got credit for that, and I thank you.
As to the document you allude to, I can only reinforce that there were no cuts done or proposed, now or in the future. Absolutely none. If anything, we have added moneys to the budget of CFIA. I could have Carole outline that, but we only have a few more minutes. Of course as I said, we've hired 200-plus inspectors since 2006, and we continue to do that.
As to audits by other countries, the U.S. is not alone in doing that. They audit ours; we audit theirs. A lot of our reports are just as scathing. The Russians audit. The Japanese audit. Any of our import countries audit. That's the reciprocal agreement we have as we strike to get equivalency in the science-based rules that are required for food safety. We take these reports very seriously. We analyze them. We work with them. We correct any deficiencies that are outlined, as the Americans do when we check out their plants.
A lot of this will be addressed when we start looking at a better traceability system--right back to the farm gate. We're working on that. Provinces like Quebec have a great system now. Alberta is funding a system to get up to that. Manitoba has made that announcement. That's part and parcel of what our import nations have asked for.
Certainly we look at these reports that are constantly being done. We analyze every one, and we seek to address whatever they are pointing out.