I don't think I'll be needing 10 minutes.
Since the report came out and since the inquiry and this body of inquiry took place, quite frankly, given what CFIA have to work with, I think they've made a Herculean effort to bring about the technological changes asked for. I think if you look at their history, though, you'll find that's an ongoing practice. They've never been shy about bringing in new technology to achieve these things, and that wasn't our main concern from the beginning.
Our concern still remains that they have a very limited budget. I know they will always have to put on the best face, and I expect that in terms of dealing with what they have, partly because that's their job and partly because there's an issue of public confidence. But the fact still remains that they have seen no increase in resources, which, at the end of the day, is going to define what they can and cannot do in a lot of these measures.
In fact, some of the measures they've brought into place since all of this are more work intensive and the new practices require more time of each inspector to be devoted, and there are no additional inspectors put in place. As a matter of fact, I've shared with CFIA management some of the actual staffing level reports coming from the regions in the very area where this tragedy originated, and they're still showing massive overburdens on the inspectors. I think any objective view of this would agree that when you have inspectors who are assigned anywhere from five to seven plants--and that's still going on--then you have a problem.
While they're doing everything they can within their confines, we've seen no commitment whatsoever.... There have been recommendations from the parliamentary committee that there be a joint look at resources, both what's available and what needs to take place, and there was the recommendation in the Weatherill report that an independent third party take a look at this in terms of both what's needed and what's available.
Without that taking place and without a commitment to live up to the findings of that review, we think it's just a matter of time before you see it happen again, quite frankly. We don't think there's any other way it's going to go. Unless we hear a strong commitment that if these reviews of needed resources show that it's true they need help, they will get it, then this is all a waste of time.
I think admirable changes have already been made. I think they are good to the extent they can be put in place and delivered on, but without additional resources, it's just a matter of time before it happens all over again.