Agriculture Committee on Nov. 1st, 2012

Evidence of meeting #54 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was regulations.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Bill S-11, An Act respecting food commodities, including their inspection, their safety, their labelling and advertising, their import, export and interprovincial trade, the establishment of standards for them, the registration or licensing of persons who perform certain activities related to them, the establishment of standards governing establishments where those activities are performed and the registration of establishments where those activities are performed

Committee Business

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Keith Mussar Vice-President, Regulatory Affairs, Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters

Dennis Laycraft Executive Vice-President, Canadian Cattlemen's Association

Christian Lacasse Vice-President, Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Bill Jeffery National Coordinator, Centre for Science in the Public Interest

Mel Fruitman Vice-President, Consumers' Association of Canada

Keith Warriner University of Guelph, As an Individual

Ben Lobb Huron—Bruce, CPC

10:30 a.m.

Huron—Bruce, CPC

Ben Lobb

I can't speak for what's inside their heads, but I would suspect they're very focused on the number one priority, which is the safety of food and the safety of all Canadians.

In my mind, the focus and idea behind these enhancements in Bill S-11 is to provide the people who are on the front line a better way of being able to do their jobs. The fact is, this is what it does, and it allows them to be able to carry on.

I have one question that I want to ask Mr. Warriner.

I thought what you said in your comments was that they were maybe doing their job but really not looking at what else might be out there on the plant floor. Is that what you were insinuating in your comments?

10:30 a.m.

University of Guelph, As an Individual

Dr. Keith Warriner

Insinuating? I thought it was a bit more direct than that.

It seems to me, and certainly XL Foods demonstrated this and the Maple Lead outbreak demonstrated it, that inspectors have a very defined role, and people suggest that—

10:30 a.m.

Huron—Bruce, CPC

Ben Lobb

Okay, but that defined role isn't whimsical in nature. As I mentioned to Mr. Fruitman, that defined role is based on science, based on working with the manufacturers. It's throughout the complete chain. They didn't just stick their fingers up in the air one day and say that maybe they should do this.

Would you agree that this is the case, that the inspectors are doing what they're supposed to do, which is to inspect, and that it's based not just on what they feel like doing, but based on science and maybe even their own experiences?

10:30 a.m.

University of Guelph, As an Individual

Dr. Keith Warriner

No, I think it's based.... The science bit comes in developing the plan.

I think there's a culture that exists in the interaction between companies and the CFIA. I've noticed this first hand. I think that some inspectors, as I was mentioning in answer to the previous question, don't really know what role they're playing. That's the only way you could explain the fact that there were such deficiencies in XL and that the inspectors didn't seem to even notice it.

I think the questioner is saying that this is what they've developed and this is how they do their job effectively. But it's clear that they don't do the job effectively, and I believe this is because their duties are ill-defined, personally speaking.

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed

Thank you.

As stated earlier, I'm going to intervene now.

I thank our guests for being here and for their input.

I will ask that the committee room be cleared. We will go in camera to discuss committee business. We're going to take a short recess of a couple of minutes, and I would ask that visitors vacate the room.

Thank you. We will recess for two minutes.

[Proceedings continue in camera]