I really want to be clear with the members of the committee that this is a job that CFIA is already doing. This is not something that we are putting on them that they have never done before. That was really one of the reasons we went this route rather than a Criminal Code change, because the CFIA is already doing this job. We're just strengthening the consequences and the deterrents that are there.
For example, I believe there were 12 charges in 2020, two charges in 2019, and 43 charges under the regulations in 2018, so this is something they've already been doing. The issue I am identifying here is that the consequences aren't tough enough to really deter this type of unlawful activity.
As you talked about when you were a member of this committee and the committee did that mental health report, the devastation this has had on Canadian farm families is very real—and that's not even talking about the biosecurity risks that are also just as real.