We heard a lot of witnesses on Bill C-474, although you folks blocked some from coming forward. We heard a number of witnesses on the biotechnology debate.
There's real concern out there in the organic farming community at the moment--in the alfalfa industry, especially in Manitoba--about GM alfalfa. We have a responsibility as parliamentarians, if we're doing our job, to act on that. The amendment is effectively a delay tactic by the Government of Canada in making the necessary decisions to give the alfalfa industry some security in terms of a moratorium as it relates to GM alfalfa.
Randy, in his remarks, is right about the registration process. I faced Monsanto on rBGH a number of years ago. We know they can move forward aggressively to register if they like. There is nothing in place at the moment to assure farmers that proper protocols will be followed to protect those farmers who do not want GM alfalfa...from it coming forward.
Simply put, I speak in opposition to the amendment because I see it as another delay tactic. The original motion, when you put it in context, is not an absolute ban. It lays out the protocols, public research, and various areas that have to be covered before anything can happen on GM alfalfa.
It's essential and urgent to give some assurance to the farming community. Almost everyone is opposed to genetically modified alfalfa.
As a last point, I've talked to Syngenta and Monsanto. In fact, I have been lobbied fairly aggressively by them since the motion came forward. When you say that nobody is interested in their product, they'll concede that point and say that if they put it out there people might be interested, and it would be an affront to the market if they weren't allowed to do so. Well, I think it's an affront to those farmers who are in the organic industry now, to those farmers who have strong alfalfa markets in Europe, if we leave all the power and authority in the hands of Monsanto, which wants to bring forward this GM alfalfa.
So I oppose the amendment on the simple basis that I see it as a delay tactic on the part of the government. I believe we need to make a decision, and we need to make it today.