I have seen that we import fruits and vegetables produced with pesticides that are registered in the US and in other countries but are banned in Canada. In time, some of those products will meet the Canadian criteria for registration but some will not.
My concern is that this puts our Canadian producers at a disadvantage. We do not necessarily know if the pesticides used to produce the fruits and vegetables that we import for our food consumption will one day be accepted in Canada or not. I am also concerned for our consumers who eat some food produced with herbicides that may never meet the Canadian criteria.
What steps do you think should be taken in Canada to ensure that our producers have access to the best competitive products possible and that our consumers are protected against chemicals that are not accepted in Canada but are found in imported food such as fruits and vegetables? As you know, we do not have the list of those products and herbicides that may have been used to for the production of those fruits and vegetables.
We probably import fruits and vegetables that have been grown with herbicides that are not registered in Canada. Our farmers are not allowed to import those herbicides for their own production but we import those fruits and vegetables for our own consumption. I find that nonsensical. What could be done to solve this problem?