Evidence of meeting #55 for Health in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cdr.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Yes, I am, Mr. Chair. I move it.
I'd like to add something to it, if I may.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
With the indulgence of the committee, I handed this in to the clerk at the last meeting and I introduced it verbally to you, but I realize, now that I see it, that I forgot about the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. I think I mentioned it verbally, but forgot to write it into the motion.
It seems to me there's a fair bit of media coverage right now about a number of items having to do with the health of Canadians. To run through them quickly, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the body that would be responsible for keeping the tainted wheat gluten out of the human food supply. Maybe they're doing it well, but I don't know that, and as a member of the health committee, I would like to know that.
There are a couple of other issues around food under question today in the media. I think one of them had to do with seafood or something. But before the meeting, we could get a couple of questions ready for them.
Concerning the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, those of you who were in the House for question period today heard me talking about one pesticide, in any case, for which the standards are much lower in the States and it looks as if we're adopting their standards. So we need to hear from those people what they're doing and why they are doing it.
I have heard that the Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission, which is another agency at arm's length from the government that protects Canadians' health.... I would like to know if they're changing any of their regulations, because I think we were simply lucky we uncovered this, the reduction in standards that seem to have been suggested under the Quarantine Act in order to harmonize with the American standards, and I'd like to know about these other agencies.
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
That's a different issue, I believe. Hazardous materials are not food, right?
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
No, there is food, there are pesticides, and there are hazardous materials, all of which have an impact on health and all of which belong to arm's-length agencies. We've never had them in, but they're in the news.
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
Patrick Brown Conservative Barrie, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I had a few amendments I wanted to make, and one of them was relating to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, so I'm glad you raised that. I was going to suggest that it would be more appropriate to have the Canadian Food Inspection Agency than the Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission in order to actually get at what I think you're hoping to achieve with this motion.
That was my first suggestion, that the amendment replace “Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission” with “Canadian Food Inspection Agency”.
The second amendment would be to replace “any regulatory changes” with “regulatory changes pertaining to the harmonization with the United States under NAFTA”. And this would be helpful in restricting the scope of the motion to focus on what I think we're all hoping to see here. And given the media attention to this, I think if we could focus on that, it would make us more productive.
The last thing is to replace “a special meeting” with “before May 30”, because I think that would be a bit more specific in dates. At the same time, the reason I'm suggesting “on May 30” instead of “a special meeting” is that we all have very busy schedules. I know many of us are on numerous committees, and if we're to have an additional meeting, I think it would put an onus on us that we may not need.
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
Let me help with this, and maybe the mover will see these as friendly amendments.
On the first one, the CFIA, she's already agreed to. That's fine.
As for the special meeting, I have said we could do it on June 6, and schedule June 6. If you want it earlier than that, we could do it on May 30, but that would mean moving the CDR final report back until June 6. So it's going to be tight, potentially, depending on when we rise for the summer.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Don't we have something on the Monday? That isn't June 6, it's June 4.
May 14th, 2007 / 5:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
Yes, we have Bill C-42, and the Quarantine Act as well on June 4.
I'm fine with that, but it's so the committee understands where we would be going with this.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
To not have a special meeting, I think we could put it in here.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Let's have it on May 30 then, and then we might have to have a special meeting for the report.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
Fair enough. So then we've eliminated the special meeting on it.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Patrick Brown Conservative Barrie, ON
[Inaudible--Editor]...regulatory changes pertaining to harmonization with the United States under NAFTA.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
I agree that this is essentially the purpose, and we know that. But if we put that, they're liable to say that we're making regulatory changes but that they have nothing to do with harmonization and therefore they won't tell us anything. I want to know about any regulatory changes, and we'll decide if it's to harmonize.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
It is not with NAFTA; it is with the security and prosperity partnership.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
No, I don't. I see it as restricting it and giving the bureaucrats or the officials an out so they can go around their answers, whereas if we ask for regulatory--
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
Okay, that's all I need to know. You see two of the items as friendly and the other one as not friendly.
So there we have the situation. So actually, the amendment would only be one amendment, which would be the one on NAFTA.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
I agreed to take out “Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission”. I agreed to add “Canadian Food Inspection Agency”.