Thank you, Chair.
We are in the middle of completing a study on soil and water conservation. We've heard from many farmers, and they've demonstrated that they are employing a lot of really beneficial farming practices to farm in a sustainable way.
However, I am concerned about farming practices abroad. I want to draw your attention to Brazil. I'm sorry to single out Brazil, but 2.3% of Canada's imports come from Brazil, and between 1993 and 2013 an area of forest the size of Italy was cleared there. I think they are the top beef producer in the world.
I want to know how the Government of Canada.... Looking not only at plant and animal health and safety, what kinds of measures are we taking to ensure the food we import is farmed in a sustainable manner so that Canadian consumers can be sure the beef they're eating is not directly impacting wide swaths of Amazonian rainforests being burned and cleared? I'd like to know what kinds of standards we're looking at for that.