Evidence of meeting #41 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 products.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Partner, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP, As an Individual
I think it would be reasonable under the circumstances, yes.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Thank you.
To conclude, I think we've clearly understood that you in the egg industry are worried about potential dumping because you're aware of businesses that could pose as Ukrainian businesses but whose eggs wouldn't come from that country.
Do you have the same worries about chicken?
I'm not necessarily talking about dummy corporations, but about the act of lending an identity to some entity, as it were.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council
We have the same worries about products. When we import products from Ukraine or any other country, there are rules of origin that must be obeyed. The CFIA people briefly told you about that on Monday. We truly rely on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to audit the systems in place in foreign countries. Part of its work is to ensure that those countries abide by the rules of origin and that products meet standards. We rely on it for that, and we want to ensure that it continues to do an excellent job around the world.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Kody Blois
Thank you very much, Mr. Laurin and Mr. Savard-Tremblay.
Ms. Collins, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Lambert, it seemed like you wanted to respond to Mr. Louis's question earlier when he mentioned that there were safety measures in place. They would be checking the first 10 shipments, and then one out of every 10.
Did you have a response?
Chief Executive Officer, Egg Farmers of Canada
No, I would just pivot back to the other point here, that in addition to that, we have to contemplate that it would directly impact whatever comes in. That's a big part of this. We don't know what will come in. We don't know the volumes. We don't know the frequency. If it's unlimited, then those products will come in and displace Canadian farm products and impact the family farm in terms of income.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Thank you so much.
Am I correct that your concern is around the food safety of the products being imported, for Canadians' health and safety, and also, if it is chicken, the avian flu coming in and potentially impacting your farms and their viability?
Chief Executive Officer, Egg Farmers of Canada
We can't really speak to the chicken side of it, but certainly to the egg side of it, yes, it would be a concern.
I don't know if Jean-Michel wants to add anything to that.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council
Is your question around the concern that the avian flu would be brought into Canada from Ukraine?
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
It's just around the concern that it might impact not only poultry and chicken farmers but also egg farmers. I'm just trying to get clear on the full impacts of some of the food safety pieces.
Chair, Egg Farmers of Canada
We're always concerned when there's an AI outbreak. In Canada, there are restrictive zones that are put in place and there are restrictive zones that you can't travel through. Are these trucks that are transporting the product to be shipped to the port travelling through those zones? That product could get contaminated with the flu. The flu could get on the boat and then be brought over here.
We know that this flu is one of the most virulent. It can live for a period of up to 270 days in the right environment. We also know that it can be carried by a fly for over a mile. If that fly lands on a piece of equipment in the barn and that virus starts to thrive again, then the barn can be infected. It's highly spreadable. It's a big concern.
NDP
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Kody Blois
Hopefully, without drawing the ire of my colleagues, I can add something here.
As a lawyer, Ms. Coughlin, you're a witness after my own heart. I formerly worked at McInnes Cooper. You did a great job of laying out the regulatory elements. I have just a couple of quick questions.
If you're familiar with this, is the regulatory environment in the European Union or the United Kingdom similar to what we have in terms of those protocols you laid out for food safety? Do you know much about the other regulatory models?
Partner, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP, As an Individual
Unfortunately, I do not. I know that certain of the countries in the European Union have been recognized by CFIA as countries from which we can import meat products, but I really can't speak to it further than that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Kody Blois
You don't have any information in relation to how those regulatory agencies might have responded. You certainly laid out the case for what CFIA has to demonstrate under its own regulatory model. I think there are two real principles here. There's one about market access, which has been outlined today, and then there's also food safety. There's something this committee can draw upon, which is any lessons to be learned from other jurisdictions about the importation of products and the concerns that might be levied in those jurisdictions.
Maybe that's something we can ask the analysts to follow up on.
Thank you to all of our witnesses for your testimony here today.
Colleagues, that ends our session.
I remind you that at 11 a.m. tomorrow we have an informal meeting. There's a delegation from Mongolia that is going to be here. There are four members of Parliament from the Mongolian equivalent of our agriculture committee. We do have translation. It will not be a televised meeting. I encourage anyone who can make it; it will be for an hour. I think it will be a great exchange. Please join us if you can.
The meeting is adjourned.