Thank you very much.
I would like to come back to several comments that you made, Ms. Cruikshank. Earlier, you talked about the confusion surrounding some of the testimony presented to the committee. Perhaps we are somewhat to blame for that. I spoke about food safety. In the case of labels bearing the “Product of Canada” designation, you maintain that a distinction must be made and that such a designation does not guarantee the safety of food products.
However, as Mr. Bezan pointed out, several bills are currently in the works, specifically bills C-51 and C-52, and these will be examined shortly in committee. I'm not sure which committee will have the honour, agriculture or health, but that's not important.
Let me explain why we associated food safety with product labelling. I confess that I'm guilty of linking the two as well. You have to understand that over the past three years, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has ordered at least 50 food product recalls. The fact is that when the provenance of the products was checked in the case of recalls for health reasons or for salmonella contamination, various types of bacteria were discovered in the products. In some instances, glass or metal was found in the products. The recalls involved black pepper from Pakistan, cantaloupe from Honduras and spinach from the United States. For the consumer, the “Product of Canada” designation provides a measure of safety. Of course, it is not a 100% guarantee that there will not be a problem with the product. For me as a consumer, when I see a product from Canada, whether processed or fresh, I am confident that this is a good product, one that I can buy with confidence.