Agriculture Committee on April 9th, 2024

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, John Barlow]

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Perron.

Mr. MacGregor is giving back his two and a half minutes.

I have a question from the previous chair for Ms. Cartwright.

His question was this: You mentioned that there are ways to improve transportation regulations and make horse transportation safer, but you were saying that perhaps it wouldn't be economically feasible. Shouldn't the focus be on the transportation rather than on the end use, and wouldn't it be up to industry to decide whether or not it's economically feasible? If it's not, I guess that's another way to end the practice.

[Barbara Cartwright]

The question that I believe the former chair was referring to is this: If we ship them like we ship racehorses, could the industry be viable?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, John Barlow]

That's correct.

[Barbara Cartwright]

I would say that the industry would not be viable if we shipped them in the same manner we currently ship racehorses or horses for show.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, John Barlow]

Ms. Cartwright, you also mentioned that the CFIA made changes that may not have been science-based and may have been coerced—that's probably not the right word—or lobbied by the animal food industry.

Dr. Mary Jane Ireland, who has testified before this committee, is the chief veterinary officer of Canada and a delegate to the World Organisation for Animal Health. She is a leading expert in this and set those guidelines. Are you insinuating that Dr. Ireland's changes to the regulations on animal transportation were not based on science or her best experience and judgment?

[Barbara Cartwright]

I will say a few things there.

One, I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Ireland. We meet with her fairly regularly.

My understanding is that she is not responsible for writing the regulations from 2019 and that there were 20 years of debate prior to that. This happened in 2017. I can only speak to what is in the ATIP.

Of course, they don't provide detailed information about who said what, because it's all redacted. However, it is clear from the ATIP, as reported in The Globe and Mail in March 2017, that the industry had a significant role in the shift in the way the CFIA was proposing animal welfare regulations, as opposed to industry-driven regulations.

I'm happy to share what I have of that, but I also know where the original ATIP is. I can ask whether that can be presented to you as well.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, John Barlow]

Thanks, Ms. Cartwright.

That ends this group of witnesses.

Thank you very much to all the witnesses who appeared with us today.

Team, we'll allow our witnesses to leave. Before you take off, I have a couple of notes from the chair and the clerk.

The deadline for the submission of amendments to Bill C-355 is on Thursday by four o'clock eastern time. Please have any amendments for this particular bill to the clerk by this Thursday, April 11.

On the import-export study, provide witness lists by the end of the week. That's for those who have not submitted them yet. Please have the list of any witnesses for the next study to the clerk by the end of the week.

Thank you very much.

The meeting is adjourned.