We have a federal Canadian organic standard, as we were describing in our testimony. It is backed by the government. We have a government-owned brand for organic products in Canada. The seal reads “Canada Organic”, and consumers everywhere can look for those labelled products at grocery stores, farmers' markets, and wherever they buy organics.
Now, one of the deficiencies in our regulatory system right now is that many provinces do not have their own provincial organic regulation. What this means is that any products sold only within the province, not crossing any provincial or international borders, are subject to the regulations of that province. Right now, only five provinces in Canada, including B.C., starting this fall, and Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Manitoba, have a provincial regulation. We're working on one very proactively in Ontario right now. However, internationally and across provincial borders, we have a very robust regulatory system that enforces the Canadian organic standards, and the CFIA is part of that enforcement.
Yes, consumers who are buying within the province, at farmers' markets especially, need to ask their farmers if the product is organic and if the farmers have gone through certification, because in our minds “organic” means certification. Right now, every province is working towards a provincial organic regulation.