Thank you very much for appearing here this morning. I want to direct my questioning basically to the CFIA at the outset.
As a committee, we have studied in the past year the whole issue of product and consistency--how we standardize product, what is allowed. We talked about Bill C-27, and within Bill C-27 found a reasoning argument to put forward a recommendation that there be truth in advertising.
I'm wondering about the resolve in terms of some of the problems farmers see when I hear Mr. Price talking about stability in the dairy industry. I think you would find some argument from the dairy sector as to whether there is real stability. As Mr. Devolin said this morning, there is less stability in the dairy industry today than there has been for a long time.
You're telling us we really can't look at either area of article 28. Perhaps we ought to look at what is happening, and at what we're not doing, here in Canada. If I understand correctly, the dairy regulations in both the Canada Agricultural Products Act, CAPA, and the Food and Drugs Act do not allow for the use of milk protein concentrates in the making of standardized dairy products. For many years now, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which is responsible for enforcement of the dairy regulations of both CAPA and FDA, is aware that the Canadian dairy processing industry is using milk protein concentrates in the fabrication of standardized dairy products. The agency has not taken steps to stop the illegal use of thousands of tonnes of milk protein concentrate in standardized cheeses and other dairy products.
Is it normal that a government enforcement agency fails to fulfill its mandate while knowingly allowing the use of an illegal ingredient in standardized dairy products?