Thank you.
Mr. Masswohl, you raised a very interesting point. In your remarks, you said that imported beef was still being used in mixtures and that the final product could nevertheless be labeled "Canada". What surprises me is that you are still suggesting—and the same is true for the poultry producers and Mr. Dungate—that the standard not be mandatory.
While you condemn the use of the "Canada" label on products which, in many cases, are not very Canadian in reality, you say that the industry should be given the leeway to put a "Grown in Canada" label on its products or not. In passing, we are still discussing what should be used: "Product of Canada" or "Grown in Canada".
I am surprised. In Quebec, producers' associations seem to be unanimous that the standard must be mandatory. If you open the door to the possibility of using the label or not, once again, consumers will probably be lost. They may well be confused by the label on a product, not to mention that there are also categories like "Canada A1", etc.
I wonder what advantage there is to having a standard that is not mandatory. In whose interest would it be to not write "Grown in Canada" when the product is grown in Canada? When it is not, the label should indicate that the food was grown elsewhere. I would like you to explain your position to me. I feel there's a contradiction.
Mr. Dungate, I would also like to know your views on that.