Evidence of meeting #57 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was crops.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Jim Everson  Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, Canola Council of Canada
Richard Phillips  Executive Director, Grain Growers of Canada
Stephen Vandervalk  President, Grain Growers of Canada
Richard White  General Manager, Canadian Canola Growers Association

12:55 p.m.

General Manager, Canadian Canola Growers Association

Richard White

Well, it would certainly undermine our credibility, I believe, because you would be asking a country to do something you're not doing yourself. Your argument would be pretty hollow at that point.

If we stick to science-based, that's our best way to hold other countries accountable to a science-based system as well. It's a system that works, and it works very well. It helps to minimize those non-tariff trade barriers, which are still out there, unfortunately. But if we can keep leading the way, basing our world-class system on science, we can show the rest of the world that it works. Maybe over time we'll get them to move in that direction with us.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Mr. Vandervalk, you talked about pushing your rotations. I have talked to quite a few researchers and they are saying the same thing. They're noticing the lack of wheat and barley. It's because of market conditions and the market they have to sell into. Would not science be very important for seeing those revenues actually come to a level that's equivalent to canola, peas, or lentils? Is that what it's going to take?

12:55 p.m.

President, Grain Growers of Canada

Stephen Vandervalk

I just did it the other day. I sat down with my maps and decided what I was going to grow. The first thing you do is plug in where you're going to put all your canola. You try to force those acres in. Then you think about malt barley and wheat and durum. You're guessing which one is going to be the best, and then you put your acres in accordingly. If we had more options as far as different traits for how we grow the crop in wheat and barley, that would be a huge benefit.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

You went through the directors elections, Mr. Vandervalk. I believe one of the directors in your district was up for election.

We have this purchase of lake vessels. Was that discussed in your directors elections?

12:55 p.m.

President, Grain Growers of Canada

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

What would have a bigger impact on farmers at this point in time: buying lakers or investing in research on wheat and barley?

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

Mark Eyking Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS

Mr. Chair, are we going to stick to the topic?

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

My question's very clear. What would--

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

Mark Eyking Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS

It's not about biotech.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Yes, it is, if you listen to the question.

Would it be research or lakers? That was my question.

12:55 p.m.

President, Grain Growers of Canada

Stephen Vandervalk

The number one priority is always research. We need more and more research, public and private. That's our number one thing. Any money that goes into that—I'm not sure what the number would be—can come back twentyfold, tenfold. That's what's most important, for sure.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Okay, so we've seen this--

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

Your time has pretty well expired.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Mr. Chair, I would like to move my motion that we look at lakers and actually bring the officials in. The notice has been given, so I'd like to move that motion at this point in time.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

Okay. Submit that to us, Mr. Hoback.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

It's already submitted. I'd like to move that motion. It's actually motion number 14.

1 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

We still have our witnesses here, Mr. Hoback.

1 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

I understand that we're done our questioning.

1 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

Yes, we are.

I just have one follow-up. We've heard from quite a few of our witnesses that zero tolerance is too much to ask or too much to expect. A couple or three weeks ago, the European Union indicated for the first time that they realize that zero tolerance is too much to expect. Is there any comment on the significance of that?

1 p.m.

Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, Canola Council of Canada

Jim Everson

We think it's very significant. It's a step forward that the European Community has basically said they have to provide some tolerance level for a low-level presence in feed for industrial use. The fact that the European Community and the member states came together and managed to come up with a qualified majority in support of an issue around genetically modified products was quite significant in its own right. I think what's happening there is the feed industry is understanding that they will not have access to feed supplies unless there is something other than a zero tolerance system in place that still maintains health and safety, with no compromising of principles.

The technical solution, as it's called, requires that this product already be approved by a scientific authority in some other place in the world. They have a safety assessment done on that product already, so they can protect health and safety, and at the same time they can provide access. I think it is a growing issue for countries reliant on imports around the world that they are able to have access.

The issue in a zero tolerance world will be one of food and feed security for countries that really depend on imports and won't be able to get them because they're detecting GM products that really have no impact from a health and safety point of view.

1 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

Thank you, Mr. Everson.

Mr. Phillips.

1 p.m.

Executive Director, Grain Growers of Canada

Richard Phillips

We were in the EU in January talking about this with EU parliamentarians. One fellow put it very well. He said, “We know what we have to do; we just don't know how to get re-elected after we do it, because there is consumer sensitivity in the EU.”

It's fear of the unknown about whether GM products are safe or not. Mr. Atamanenko and I have had this conversation. If the committee hasn't done it, I would suggest that you think about bringing in CFIA, Health Canada, and Ag Canada, and very carefully go through what health and safety studies are required. If you've already done that, there's a tremendous amount of stuff to go through testing before anything is ever approved.

1 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

Thank you very much, gentlemen, for being here today.

March 24th, 2011 / 1 p.m.

Liberal

Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE

I want it on the record that we're not opposed to bringing the Wheat Board in. In fact we favour it.

1 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

Your point is taken.

The meeting is adjourned. See you all on Tuesday.