Evidence of meeting #32 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was recycling.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:25 p.m.
Vice-President, Environmental Sustainability, Food and Consumer Products of Canada
I am. I participated in the consultations as well.
October 20th, 2014 / 4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
That's very good.
In that document there were, in particular, nine supporting measures to begin work on this Canada-wide strategy. They include many of the things that you've expressed concern about today including, for example, the adoption of Canada-wide sustainability indicators and metrics. In other words, the issue of data. As well, there was a suggestion of a Canada-wide standard and certification program for compostable packaging and the establishment of an industry-government working group to provide a forum for greater dialogue. This was something else that came through to me in your comments.
I wonder if you could look at that October 2009 “Canada-wide Strategy for Sustainable Packaging”, and in particular, those nine supporting measures, and tell me if you know the status of the implementation of those measures, what you perceive has been accomplished on each of those nine measures, and also tell me the degree to which your agency has been involved in the accomplishment of those nine measures?
That may be too much homework to ask of you but I know it would be very helpful for me, and I suspect for our committee, if we were to have a kind of report card from your perspective of those nine supporting measures when it comes to packaging. I suspect I don't have time to do more than ask you for that homework unless you are able to briefly comment in a general way and then give me the specifics later.
Is there anything you could say generally about that?
4:30 p.m.
Vice-President, Environmental Sustainability, Food and Consumer Products of Canada
Very generally, I share the same question as to the status of the implementation. Again, I know it's to provide guidance to individual provinces that are then going to do their own thing or not. That was the last I remember hearing of it. I know that the industry-government task group was struck for a really specific issue, and we were part of that. As for the other items, including a composting standard, I think there's a voluntary standard but I don't know if there's a nationally—
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
If you have an easy way to get some specifics and report that back to us I would certainly be grateful. I think our committee would generally be grateful.
Thank you very much.
4:30 p.m.
Vice-President, Environmental Sustainability, Food and Consumer Products of Canada
I'll do that.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Harold Albrecht
Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Kagan, for being with us today.
Committee members, we're going to declare a three-minute recess while we reconvene for our in camera session.
The meeting is suspended.
[Proceedings continue in camera]