Agriculture Committee on June 6th, 2016

Evidence of meeting #16 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 beekeepers.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Bee Health Monitoring in Canada

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Andrea Johnston Director General, Sector Development and Analysis Directorate, Market and Industry Services Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Stephen Pernal Research Scientist, Apiculture, and Officer-in-Charge, Beaverlodge Research Farm, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Jaspinder Komal Executive Director and Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, Animal Health Directorate, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Scott Kirby Director General, Environmental Assessment Directorate, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Department of Health

Bruce Rutley Director, Research and Innovation, Grande Prairie Regional College

André Flys Second Vice-President, Ontario Beekeepers' Association

Carlos Castillo Applied Scientist Manager, National Bee Diagnostic Centre - TAC, Grande Prairie Regional College

5:25 p.m.

Director, Research and Innovation, Grande Prairie Regional College

Dr. Bruce Rutley

To Mr. Warkentin's question, the plans are to continue to explore expansion. We've initiated conversations with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. We already had one meeting in Ottawa in February. We have just recently submitted a proposal to the strategic infrastructure fund that the federal government has opened and we await the results of that application. We are formulating our development plans essentially as we speak.

The plan is to continue to explore expansion.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Chris Warkentin Conservative Grande Prairie—Mackenzie, AB

That's great news because we do know the success that is evident by the number of samplings you're diagnosing on an annual basis and how they are exponentially growing. I suspect that's going to continue as people become more aware of the world-leading study you're doing and the diagnosing you're doing in such a quick way.

We thank you for that. We'll continue to monitor the developments of those applications and of your plans to continue.

Thanks so much for all you do. I'll leave it there and end by simply thanking all of you for joining us today.

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

On this, we will end our second hour of panel witnesses. I want to thank you for the time you took to address this very important issue on bee health for the bee industry but also for all of agriculture.

Thank you again. I'm sure we will speak again.

Before everybody leaves, we will be talking about the travel budget for fall travel at the next subcommittee meeting on Wednesday. The letter that was recommended for PACA has been drafted. It will be circulated to every one of you. Please prepare your comments on it for the next meeting.

We'll see you on Wednesday.

The meeting is adjourned.