Agriculture Committee on Nov. 29th, 2012

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Could you bring that back to the committee, please?

[Barbara Jordan]

I certainly can.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Thank you.

[Barbara Jordan]

I would point out that because all of the inspectors in a meat processing environment will do CVS tasks, 100% of those inspectors will be trained on CVS. In a slaughter environment, not all inspectors will be doing CVS tasks, so they will not all be trained on CVS.

I'll get you the specific figures on that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Thank you.

Mr. Zimmer is next.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Thank you for coming today, everybody.

I want to restate what Mr. Lemieux said about the opposition. I think it's irresponsible to twist the facts in this case on the issue this morning. It's affecting people in Canada, and their impression. I think it's doing it falsely, and I think you know better.

I want to ask Paul to reiterate the facts of today's issue. We've heard from the minister previously that protocols for Japan and the products destined for Japan receive the same inspection as Canadian products do, period.

This particular process was just a protocol that Japan required. I think it was a 21-month inspection of the carcass. I think that's specifically what you said, Paul. I want you to reiterate those facts for the committee today so that the opposition members actually understand the facts.

[Paul Mayers]

Thank you very much.

In terms of the facts, I think Canadians will easily understand that any organization has to organize the work of its staff in order to maximize its efficiency. As it relates to a slaughter plant exporting to multiple countries, our inspection staff who certify products to those countries have to therefore make sure that the specific requirements of each country are met for the products that are destined for there.

In the case of Japan, that is managed—in addition to the food safety requirements, which are universal—through a specific inspection station that confirms some specific and unique requirements in relation to Japan. Those unique requirements for Japan relate to the age of animals from which carcasses are derived and, as noted in the memo, also to the removal of spinal cord and dura mater, a requirement that applies universally, but, for Japan, there is some specific expectation that must be confirmed. That's what the role of the inspection station is.

What the memo is doing is communicating the task to those individuals stationed at that position with respect to focusing on Japan. What it is also communicating to them is that since that station is uniquely focused on Japan, they are not expected to be carrying out inspection for carcasses not destined for Japan. It is making that distinction. That's all the memo is doing.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Right.

We don't expect in a car plant, for instance, that the person inspecting fenders is going to inspect the engine, necessarily. It doesn't mean that the engine is not going to be inspected at some point. It is going to be inspected.

Thanks for clarifying the issue.

I have a question for Greg about the CWB and the good-news story that it's been on the prairies. On the B.C. side, we have a lot of grain up there, and a lot of canola, etc. Can you reiterate how good that program has been on the prairies and how well it's been received, and also how it's playing out?

We've been hearing a lot of positives, from my constituents anyway, that the price of grain has never been higher, and they're doing very well as a result of marketing freedom for farmers. Could you expand on that a little bit?

[Greg Meredith]

Sure.

As I mentioned before, we are three or four months into fairly revolutionary change. There was a great deal of uncertainty among some, and a great deal of opposition among a minority of producers to the change the government introduced. A number of very significant concerns were raised, and I don't think any of them has really come to pass.

The issues of farmers marketing their wheat have been very easily resolved. A number of grain companies that are global players have moved into the market relatively seamlessly. Producer cars are still being used at about the same level as last year.

From a B.C. perspective, Port Metro Vancouver is humming. The port at Rupert is also very busy, so from every possible angle, including having the CWB in its new form operating as a choice for farmers, that seems to be going very well. We meet with the CWB regularly, including just yesterday, to plot progress.

They are doing some cash trading. They are running pools. They are innovating in the kinds of pools they're running, so they seem to be filling that niche that was important to some farmers in sharing risk and doing pool marketing.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

I have to stop you there.

I'm going to give Ms. Raynault two minutes. We have a bit of business to do with the clause-by-clause study.

Ms. Raynault, you have a couple of minutes for the last word.

[Francine Raynault, NDP, Joliette, QC]

My question is for the CIFA officials.

It is true that the opposition is always asking the same questions. They are the same questions Canadians are wondering and worrying about.

Back to our topic, can you give the committee the same information that the Parliamentary Budget Officer asked you for, in other words, details on CIFA's departmental savings?

[Peter Everson]

Mr. Chair, we did provide information to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, and that information is also posted publicly on our website. We have broken down our savings across the various program activities that we have and we have indicated where reductions have occurred.

In the area of food safety, there has been no reduction to front-line inspection whatsoever. The focus has been on administrative reductions. The important distinction here is, of course, that even in an area such as food safety, there are administrative activities that occur. In fact, every person we hire is eventually allocated to one of our five program areas. If we're going to make reductions, they are going to occur across the whole gamut of our programs. The information is out there for the public.

[Francine Raynault, NDP, Joliette, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Thank you.

I'll thank our guests for being here today.

That concludes this part of our meeting. I appreciate your time.

Committee members, because we've dealt with the estimates today, I'm going to call the votes.

Shall vote 1b under Agriculture and Agri-Food carry?

AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD

Department

Vote 1b—Operating expenditures..........$8,590,619

(Vote 1b agreed to)

Shall vote 5b carry?

Vote 5b—Capital expenditures..........$1

(Vote 5b agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Shall vote 10b carry?

Vote 10b—The grants listed in the Estimates and contributions..........$206,053,947

(Vote 10b agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Shall vote 25b carry?

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Vote 25b—Capital expenditures..........$1

(Vote 25b agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Shall the chair report votes 1b, 5b, 10b, and 25b under Agriculture and Agri-Food to the House?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Thank you.

Go ahead, Mr. Allen.

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

I have one other item of business, Mr. Chair.

I have a motion. It states:

That the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food formally ask the Minister of Agriculture to undertake to the committee to release information that the PBO has requested on the cuts in his department.

I would ask that this motion be adopted.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

I think there has to be a notice of motion given. I'll ask for it to be put on the agenda if the motion comes forward.

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

I see no further comments.

The meeting is adjourned.