Thank you very much.
Thank you, Minister, and your officials, for being here.
We're here to look at Bill S-11. Obviously the reason there is a new bill is it was felt that the current system isn't working, so we're here to improve it. I would hope, as we examine this bill, that if certain amendments are put forward, we'll discuss this and strengthen it, because that's our purpose here: to strengthen this piece of legislation.
Minister, you stated in your opening remarks that the Canadian and U.S. systems are equally as strong when it comes to food safety and to inspection. I'd like to zero in on what happens at the border for a few minutes, if I may.
I know that in committee in the past we've had witnesses who have stated that only, I think, 2% of the products that come into our country are inspected for food safety. In fact, we have inspection that checks out the pests and checks out other problems, but on the American side 100% of food commodities going across the border are inspected.
I'd like to refer to the testimony made by Paul Caron at the Senate committee, an inspector with 35 years of experience, who questions the fact that our system is as strong as the American one at the border. He states that, for example:
Shipments going to the U.S. have to be screened by the USDA for animal health reasons, plant health reasons, then by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, then Homeland Security, then customs and border services, which directs the load to a meat inspection establishment located in close proximity of the border.
Apparently, according to him, all food shipments entering the U.S. are cleared at the port of entry, while Canadian meat shipments are often released to be possibly inspected later inland.
There seems to be, from what I'm reading, a discrepancy in the way we treat items going back and forth across the border. I'd like you to comment on that if you could, please.