Evidence of meeting #21 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pork.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

André Coutu  Chief Executive Officer, Agri-Food Export Group Quebec - Canada
Jacques Pomerleau  President, Canada Pork International
Stefanie Nagelschmitz  Member, Canadian Agri-Marketing Association
Mike Bast  Director, Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association
Francine Lapointe  Director, Programs and Government Affairs, Agri-Food Export Group Quebec - Canada

5:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

I'd like to dispute that, because that is being used by a lot of processors, as if to say that it doesn't comply under the thing.

I was involved in that legislation. The intent of that legislation and that change—and I don't know whether there are any around this room who were there, except maybe Frank—and the reality of that is that it's the main product. So if the main product is pork, the spices are irrelevant. They're not to be in there at all.

When these guys say they'd like to move it from 98% to 85%, it's not to qualify those spices or whatever. It's so they can add 50% U.S. or foreign product. That's what the reality is. So I don't buy that argument.

There is one last thing I'd like to ask you about. There's a consumer responsibility out there, which we don't demand enough. We should all go to the grocery store and say to the manager, “Joe”, or whoever he is, “look, I want to shop here, but if you don't bring me Canadian pork or Canadian bread or beef or whatever it is that I can purchase, I'm not going to shop here.”

First, do you agree that most of us don't do that? Second, why don't the different commodity groups and whatever insist on more consumer responsibility?

5:15 p.m.

President, Canada Pork International

Jacques Pomerleau

As I said, we will be looking at a strategy to adopt in the next few months, but I'll take your comments into consideration.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

Okay. Thank you very much.

I didn't mean to be confrontational on it, but I'm a farmer by trade, and I really get upset when people complain that they want to buy Canadian. They can if they choose to and they put the effort into it. It's just that most of us don't. It's as simple as that.

With that, I'd like to thank all of you for being here today. We're going to have bells go off any second for votes. So thank you again for being part of our study into this, and we look forward to seeing you around.

The meeting is adjourned.