Evidence of meeting #21 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 products.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
I am asking specifically about food-related, for personal consumption. We've had extensive history of approving GM food. How many have been approved in that period of time, food or grain-related not directly in the food system?
Director General, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
Approximately 120—
Director General, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
Yes, it's 120 products.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Has there been any change? Have any of those that have been approved been re-evaluated? Is there such a thing as delisted? Have there been any questions raised?
Director General, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
Not that I'm aware of.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
We have over 20 years of history of approving products, which have all been accepted within our food system for the consumer as well as production. In that 20-year period with Health Canada and Ag Canada, has anybody quantified what the impact would have been on the ag sector or the economy if those products had not been approved? Does somebody have a number?
Director General, Sector Development and Analysis Directorate, Market and Industry Services Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
I am not aware of any study that has undertaken to do that. Generally, we don't differentiate between GM and non-GM. We look at canola and the impact it has on the marketplace.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Most would have been driven from an economy-of-scale perspective. Is that correct?
Director General, Sector Development and Analysis Directorate, Market and Industry Services Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Yes.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
That would have led to increased yields and reduced input costs, so there would be efficiencies. So nobody would have that number, what the impact would be if this work had not been done by Ag Canada and Health, if our economy as a modern economy did not embrace GMO, the science of modified products and engineering?
Director General, Sector Development and Analysis Directorate, Market and Industry Services Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
I'm not aware of a study.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
So we don't have a number.
In the 23 years on the food side, would the salmon be the first animal approved?
Vice President, Policy and Programs Branch, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Yes.
Director General, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
Yes.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
So then I as a parliamentarian, who is responsible for policy and regulation, should take comfort in the fact that the same rigour, the same integrity, and the same independence that were applied over the past 23 years in approving over 100 products that are now readily accepted in our food system would have taken place in the approval process?
Vice President, Policy and Programs Branch, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Absolutely.
Director General, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
Absolutely.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
That being said, given the development of this particular food source and the recognition of it—because we are only going to grow it to the egg stage in Canada and then move it—would you see any problem with having the product grow out to commercial value in Canada, based on the science that you did to get us to the approval stage we are at now?
Vice President, Policy and Programs Branch, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
It's important to understand that the part of the assessment that would be most relevant to your question is the assessment related to environmental release. That assessment hasn't been done in terms of commercial fish, so, as is the case for everything else, until the assessment is done, I wouldn't want to make any statement.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
That's a fair response. That's only a concern as it would relate to the integration of it within the wild natural environment. As far as the consumer consumption of the product goes though, we as parliamentarians should have no concern about the safety impact of eating that product.
Vice President, Policy and Programs Branch, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Absolutely. The approval CFIA has provided regarding feed safety and the approval Health Canada has applied to food safety relate to the salmon itself. So whether that salmon was produced in Panama, as is the intention currently, or it was produced in Prince Edward Island, those feed and food safety assessments for salmon would still apply. The difference is that the environmental release to produce in Canada has not been granted.
Director General, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
I think it's also worthwhile to point out that the FDA conducted, with its own set of experts, a completely independent review. That was done by scientists in the United States, who came to the same conclusions we did about this product.
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Did I interpret correctly that the world takes a lot of stock in Canada's regulatory regime as it relates to the approval of GMO product?
Vice President, Policy and Programs Branch, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Yes. Canada is one of the countries with significant experience that many countries look to when they are contemplating how they're going to manage GM products.