Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Gravel, for your presentation and for being here today.
You are right in saying that the large number of recalls demonstrate the usefulness of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in ensuring our safety as consumers. We agree on that. I'm wondering, though, whether or not measures of some kind could be taken at the border before our safety is put at risk.
There have been a number of examples recently, some of which you have mentioned. You didn't mention the melamine found in pork, and I understand that you can't list every product. However, these cases come on the heels of the spinach and carrot juice scares. All of these products are imported into Canada, primarily from the United States. This is a relatively new problem.
When products such as these are imported into Canada and are the subject of a recall, whether it be US pork, spinach or carrot juice, it is obvious that the recall will impact the sales of Canadian or Quebec products, because consumers will be wary.
Will it be possible to sign some type of bilateral agreement with the Americans to step up border inspections before issuing a recall? Have there been discussions with any other countries?