Evidence of meeting #2 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was wart.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Kody Blois
Thank you, Mr. Donald. Thank you, Mr. Barlow.
We will finish up our panel with Mr. Morrissey for five minutes.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Thank you, Chair.
Mr. Rosser, going back to the $28 million, this is on top of the $10 million that's been announced by the Government of Prince Edward Island. Is that correct?
5:35 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
That's correct, yes.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
In your opening statement, you said that this is, to use your words, the “first tranche” of federal support. Did I correctly interpret you?
5:35 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
That is what I said. That is correct. Our focus now is to make the best use possible of those funds—
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
At the present time, then, there's $38 million on the table. It's been identified preliminarily as a $60-million issue, or that it could become that, but $38 million is currently available to producers. It's important to know that this is to producers.
I want to go to Mr. Donald briefly, because in an earlier question from one of the committee members, you referenced the Netherlands and the protocols that are put in place in the Netherlands. They ship all over the world. Do the Netherlands, as part of their risk management tool, take potato land out of production if it's detected to have potato wart?
5:35 p.m.
General Manager, Prince Edward Island Potato Board
I don't know the answer to that. I believe they still farm that land. It's still in agricultural production—
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Yes, but I'm talking about potatoes. I am told that the Netherlands ban potato planting in infested fields for 20 years.
5:35 p.m.
General Manager, Prince Edward Island Potato Board
I can't answer that. I don't know that for sure.
5:35 p.m.
General Manager, Prince Edward Island Potato Board
I thought maybe they still planted starch potatoes in some of that land, but I guess I don't know for sure.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Does P.E.I. ban any potato planting in land that potato wart has been detected in?
5:35 p.m.
General Manager, Prince Edward Island Potato Board
The management plan is a CFIA plan. It's a federal government plan. In that plan, after many, many years, once it's found that the field is pest-free or below a certain threshold, they can plant potatoes in those fields, but we have started an initiative to eliminate all the indexed fields. We're going to plant them into trees—that's the P.E.I. industry and government.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
That's a good step, because again, from the earlier testimony, Mr. Donald, the management plan that you refer to as CFIA's is not CFIA's. They said it's a management plan that was developed jointly with the industry and the Government of P.E.I. that CFIA enforces.
Mr. Donald, perhaps you could comment on the possibility of a U.S. federal order that could have come down. What are your thoughts on that, given the implications? If the U.S. agriculture department had issued a federal order closing the border, would it be more difficult to negotiate than CFIA dealing with APHIS, our American counterpart, on a scientific basis?
5:35 p.m.
General Manager, Prince Edward Island Potato Board
I guess I'll ask you a question, Mr. Morrissey. How do you know they were going to put a U.S. federal order in place?
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
That's the information that was provided to the Government of Canada through the agriculture secretary. At the same time, on November 22, the Government of the United States ordered their border security to not allow any potatoes across the border, whether they were CFIA-certified or not.
The reality is that the Government of P.E.I. was involved in those discussions on the issue of the U.S. government issuing a federal order. There's been evidence given by CFIA and various other participants on the panel that this order would have been much more difficult to deal with and to get resolved or changed than the steps taken by the Government of Canada to date.
5:40 p.m.
General Manager, Prince Edward Island Potato Board
Has the Government of Canada seen, or have you seen, a copy of the U.S. federal order that was drafted?
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Mr. Donald, let's not to be argumentative. They didn't issue it. They backed off from negotiations from the Government of Canada to ensure that we followed the scientific CFIA route. Everybody in the industry has acknowledged and advised that this route would have less of a negative impact on the industry than a federal order.
I have a final question for you, Mr. Rosser. There was some discussion—and it hasn't come up—about the national potato wart survey that was done this past summer across Canada. Is that something you could speak to? I would have preferred to ask the question of CFIA, but could you comment on the national potato wart survey?
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
5:40 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Just very briefly, Mr. Chair, this is something that the CFIA is better placed to speak to than I am. My understanding, though, is that the work is expected to be completed shortly, in the coming weeks.
I'm sure my colleagues at CFIA would be happy to provide additional details in writing.
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Kody Blois
Thank you, Mr. Morrissey. Thank you, Mr. Rosser.
If you'll indulge me as the chair, this is not to ask a question, but just simply to thank our witnesses on both panels for their participation and to thank all members on the committee for the important questions that were raised today.
I know that stakeholders from Prince Edward Island and across the country are watching our committee work. Certainly—I think I speak on behalf of all parliamentarians in this group—we share the concern and want to do everything we can to help with support, as does the government.
To the members, we certainly appreciate the good questions and, to the witnesses, your time, especially this close to the holiday season. Thank you very much.
With that, I would move that we close today's meeting. I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy holidays.
To my clerk and to the analysts, we look forward to seeing you and everyone else in the new year with the subcommittee. Please keep your eyes peeled for that email.
The meeting is adjourned.