Evidence of meeting #43 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 39th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cfia.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, gentlemen.
Dr. Evans, if I may, you'll know what I'm talking about when I refer to the report from November 2007; it's clear to you what I'm talking about. Does that report actually exist? Is there a report from November 2007--the report you just indicated?
Conservative
Brian Storseth Conservative Westlock—St. Paul, AB
On a point of order, Mr. Chair, I'll refer to the Standing Orders. You referred earlier to page 862.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
That's Marleau and Montpetit.
If you feel that any of your answers at all jeopardize your relationship with the minister or the government, or put in jeopardy policy versus implementation, you have the choice of defining your answers as you see fit.
Executive Vice-President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
I would respond, as we've already indicated, that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency did participate in the strategic review process that was undertaken under the government's expenditure management system. I am not in a position to discuss cabinet confidences, which are protected under section 69 of the Access to Information Act. That includes our submissions to cabinet, any cabinet deliberations, and cabinet decisions.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
I'm not asking you, for the moment, to disclose what was in this report. As a result of the review, can you at least agree--and I hope the government doesn't have the temerity to consider you part of the communications risk, or maybe they do--that as a result of the review a report was prepared? Can you agree with that?
Executive Vice-President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
I've indicated that as part of the strategic review we are obliged to submit a memorandum to cabinet.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
The report, which may or may not exist, in any event has never been made public.
Executive Vice-President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
What has been made public are those initiatives that are being implemented over a period of time, as announced in the budget.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
On BSE, to follow up on what Mr. Dewar was asking, it's my understanding that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is assuring Canadians that the risk of BSE will not increase in spite of the fairly significant changes that have been made to the budget of CFIA. Is that correct?
Executive Vice-President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
That's correct. We will--
Liberal
Executive Vice-President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
We have repeatedly indicated that our commitment to surveillance will take us to the point where we can fully demonstrate to all partners and all Canadians and all scientific levels that when we've achieved eradication we will maintain our surveillance to the level of having the necessary statistical information and international confidence, and that we will exceed all prescribed standards to protect human and animal health. We will exceed those standards required for us to be categorized as a country that is effectively controlling BSE.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
And you wouldn't give Canadians that assurance based on anecdotal evidence; I presume you would do it based on a clinical scientific risk assessment. Is that the case?
Executive Vice-President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
I would correct one word there: “clinical”. BSE can be seen in animals before they demonstrate clinical signs. Our testing program is designed to test all animals that show neurological signs consistent with BSE, but it also targets those populations by age and geographic region that have the potential to incubate BSE even prior to their showing clinical disease.
Liberal
Executive Vice-President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
We do continuous risk assessment on our BSE activities as it relates to surveillance, as it relates to feed, as it relates to SRM removal from human food.
Liberal
Executive Vice-President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
They are done on an annual basis, as we relook at our targets.
Executive Vice-President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
We can table what has been submitted to the international program on our surveillance activities, yes.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
With respect to the incentive program, as I understand it, the incentive program has been eliminated. Is that fair to say?
Executive Vice-President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
No, that's not correct.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
It was my understanding that the incentive program has been eliminated, which provides less incentive for farmers to identify cattle potentially with BSE.
Executive Vice-President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
No, the incentive program has not been discontinued. It continues to this day. It's actually not an incentive program; it's truly a reimbursement program, which was introduced in 2003 to both facilitate the collection of samples in terms of offsetting costs incurred by producers who identify an animal of interest to us and in terms of that animal's disposal. So that could involve either reimbursing the dead stock collector, so that they're not charged for pickup of that animal, and so it can be brought to a sampling location; or it may represent a small amount of money to help the producer, should he opt to bury that animal on the farm, to cover the costs up to a maximum of $75 to do that.
It's a reimbursement program, not an incentive program. It was intended as part of an awareness education effort in the early days of BSE as well.
Might I add that producers in this country have demonstrated outstanding stewardship. That's the very basis on which we are at twice the level of our anticipated recovery of BSE samples.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Thank you, Dr. Evans.
As a cow producer, I want to say thank you to the CFIA for the great work they have done in BSE surveillance. Of the animals that we have found, not a single one of them has entered the food system. This very last one is another example of it getting caught on the farm before it gets into the system. The animal is put down and tested at that point. The majority of the cattle have been found at the farm gate rather than in a facility.
There's no doubt that the rigorous system that we have in place in Canada is world-renowned and respected, and there is true cost associated with it as it affects us at the farm gate as producers. I simply want to thank CFIA for that on behalf of producers.
Mr. Miller, the floor is yours.