Evidence of meeting #143 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was asf.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

René Roy  Vice-Chair, Canadian Pork Council
John Ross  Executive Director, Canadian Pork Council
Colleen Barnes  Acting Vice-President, Policy and Programs, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Fred Gaspar  Director General, Commercial Program Directorate, Canada Border Services Agency
Jaspinder Komal  Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

12:45 p.m.

Director General, Commercial Program Directorate, Canada Border Services Agency

Fred Gaspar

The commercial importation of pork and pork products is something that is governed by our regulations in terms of advance data requirements, before you cross the border, so that we are aware when the shipments are coming in. We receive advance information. We do apply a risk-based commercial threat targeting to inform interdictions or inspections that may be appropriate. When there is cause for concern upon those inspections, CFIA is engaged. They do perform any secondary inland inspections that may be warranted in that regard. We do have a pretty good line of sight into those movements. You're correct; we've learned that the movement of pork and pork-related products is quite significant across the border between Canada and the U.S.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Terry Sheehan Liberal Sault Ste. Marie, ON

It certainly is.

I have a very quick question before I turn it over to Jean-Claude, who's the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Agriculture.

What kind of collaboration do you do with the universities and so on? I know what strategies we're employing right now, but can you give us a little bit of a prediction on what's coming down the pipe?

May 16th, 2019 / 12:45 p.m.

Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Dr. Jaspinder Komal

As the CVO and the VP of science, I do engage with the faculties of agriculture and veterinary medicine quite often, but more so on this. One, we wanted to raise awareness with everybody. We've never had this disease in Canada. We developed training materials that we shared with anybody who was working in the agricultural sector or would be working there in the future, including students, graduate students, professors and clinicians. We also did this with the industry, using the same materials in terms of looking for signs of this disease and to whom they should report if they find those signs.

We continue to raise that, and now we're moving into preparedness. For example, if ever we need help from people, we were talking to some universities about whether we can actually make use of graduate students or even professors in veterinary medicine. This is the kind of stuff we're working on.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Terry Sheehan Liberal Sault Ste. Marie, ON

That's good. Thank you.

The parliamentary secretary wanted to ask something.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Mr. Poissant, you have the floor.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Jean-Claude Poissant Liberal La Prairie, QC

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much for the information you have given us today.

Earlier, the pork producer representatives talked to us about two issues that are of great concern to them: wild pigs and restaurant leftovers.

Are you following up with your provincial counterparts on the restaurant leftovers issue? There was a time when restaurants often gave their leftovers to small producers to feed their animals.

12:45 p.m.

Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Dr. Jaspinder Komal

Thank you for the question.

We are working with various stakeholders on the wild pig issue. We are raising everyone's awareness about the tremendous importance of biosecurity. We don't want wild pigs to come into contact with domestic pigs. Preventing that contact is what will protect us.

On the restaurant leftovers issue, we're lucky because it's already illegal in Canada to feed pigs restaurant leftovers, including waste from planes and ships. That is already in force. We are working with the provinces to make sure that practice doesn't occur.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Jean-Claude Poissant Liberal La Prairie, QC

Thank you.

On another note—

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

You just have a few seconds left. Actually, time's up.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Jean-Claude Poissant Liberal La Prairie, QC

Time's up?

Okay, thanks.

12:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

We might have a chance to get back to that.

Mr. Berthold, you have the floor.

12:45 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It's too bad, Mr. Poissant. I'm sure your question was a very good one.

Pork industry representatives told us just now that establishing a Canadian pork promotion and research agency would enable the industry to invest $1 million in promotion and research without costing the government a penny. I think that's a very good option because, if we consume more Canadian pork, we're less likely to import products that could spread disease. That's just a comment I wanted to make. I think it's a very interesting opportunity.

Dr. Komal, I'd like to know which form caused the problems with China. What is China's problem with the form?

12:50 p.m.

Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Dr. Jaspinder Komal

The problem has to do with certain exports, and it's about labelling. The labels were on the boxes, not the products. We are working with Chinese authorities now. Our people on the ground at the Canadian embassy are working with people over there to fix the problem.

12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

An industry doesn't make a mistake like that all of a sudden. Was there a change? Why did it happen?

12:50 p.m.

Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Dr. Jaspinder Komal

There was no change. We export a lot, and things always happen. This isn't the first time this has come up. This kind of thing happens, and we take steps to fix it.

12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Thank you very much.

Mr. Gaspar, you said the detector dog team would be operational by the end of 2019. Is that soon enough? Can the team be operational sooner? I would imagine you need dogs.

12:50 p.m.

Director General, Commercial Program Directorate, Canada Border Services Agency

Fred Gaspar

Right now, we're promoting the program and the responsibility Parliament gave us.

We already have 15 dog teams. We are awaiting confirmation of a dozen more dog teams for this year and another dozen for next year. The availability of dogs is one limiting factor. We have to buy them. We have already ordered them. We certainly expect to deliver on that mandate.

12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Excellent.

Mr. Chair, I'd like to point out that things with China aren't getting better. They're going from bad to worse.

12:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Pardon me? I didn't understand.

12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Mr. Chair, things with China aren't getting better. They're going from bad to worse. The Prime Minister just made a statement about 25 minutes ago.

I will say it in English: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that China's government is “not following the same kinds of rules” after China's authorities formally arrested two Canadians.

12:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Is this related to our study?

12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

This is my speaking time, Mr. Chair. I don't understand why you're interrupting me.

12:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

We have to stick to the subject. Is this related to the subject?

12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Mr. Chair, this is my speaking time and I'm going to finish what I started saying if I may.

12:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Yes, but it has to be related to the study, Mr. Berthold.