Agriculture Committee on June 5th, 2023

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for your presentations.

Dr. Lawson, perhaps I'll continue with a line of questioning that my colleagues have asked you.

Now, I don't think the challenge is attracting veterinarians into Canada. I think the challenge is whether they're going to find jobs here with the strict regulations for getting their licences. Perhaps I'll ask you, sir, how your association is willing to work to ensure that people who are, indeed, coming to Canada to pursue these opportunities are actually going to be able to get their licence and practise?

[Dr. Trevor Lawson]

The CVMA, through the national examining board, which is an arm's-length organization that oversees the licensing of veterinarians in Canada, has been very active in this regard. We've worked very closely with testing sites at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, which does all the in-clinic testing for graduates who are from abroad.

From speaking with the college, on paper, it may look at times like there's a backlog, but when there's a call to take the exam, not all candidates reply in the positive. There are systems in place, and they appear to be working well. Often, what's happening is that when there is a call for testing, there are not enough candidates to put the testing on, because it takes a certain group to do it at a time.

We've also started to explore more closely a pathway to limited licensure. We have a consultant working on this at this point in time, whom we've co-funded this year with the registrar group in Canada that oversees licensing in the provinces. That is something we're going to continue to work on. That will be coming forward throughout 2023.

That is something that should, hopefully, allow entry to someone with specific skill sets. For example, if there are cattle practitioners in a different country and they wanted to come to Canada, it should allow us to ask, do they have the skill set to work with cattle, and can we license them here in a limited way? We're not asking them to do something they have not done in 20 years, for example, with cats or horses.

We're exploring those opportunities. I think they show good potential, and we're certainly committed to working in that regard.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Thank you very much, Dr. Lawson. I look forward to seeing how that plays out.

My question is for Mr. Bowman, and Mr. Doyon, perhaps I'll ask you as well. I grew up in England during the mad cow epidemic in 1998. In Canada, it was detected in 2003. In these past 20 years, how has the industry changed to detect and protect from BSE? How are the regulations impacting the industry?

[Matt Bowman]

First of all, there was the feed ban. When the outbreak occurred, we were no longer allowed to feed animal by-products back to ruminants. That was the first stage. Since then, there were different regulations in the slaughtering facilities that changed the amount of material that could be used. They were just being extra cautious on what they could and couldn't use.

Dr. Rosengren, did you want to elaborate a bit on the technical side?

[Dr. Leigh Rosengren]

Certainly. Matt touched on the feed ban, but he was also referring to the specified risk materials in the slaughterhouses. That's what we're working on right now in order to harmonize with the United States. We've had a very effective system. The prevalence of BSE, globally, is virtually zero. We're looking for a balanced approach that mitigates any potential of human risk while ensuring competitiveness and effectiveness in our production system.

[The Chair, Liberal, Kody Blois]

That brings us to time.

Thank you so much.

We'll now go to Monsieur Perron.

Mr. Perron, you have the floor for about two minutes, and then Mr. Johns will have the same.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Bowman, I'm going to pick up where I left off earlier. I'd like you to tell us about your VBP+ verification program. Please tell us about it and about how it can help prevent diseases from spreading?

[Matt Bowman]

Part of the verified beef program is a producer training program. There are modules in there that deal specifically with biosecurity. They develop and teach best practices for biosecurity. At this point, the majority of producers in Canada have been trained on these practices. If we're going to slow down the spread of a disease, producers are trained on what they need to do to slow it down, or to stop the spread of a disease at this point in time.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Thank you very much.

What about the standard for bovine spongiform encephalopathy that you just discussed with Ms. Khalid?

Considering the negligible risk the disease presents in Canada, you still want to go back to the previous standard and to be allowed to promote these parts.

Do you think we could reach an agreement with the United States under which we could harmonize the standard?

[Matt Bowman]

We'll never get back to where we were, but we are in a better place than we were as far as controlling the disease if there were another outbreak. I think that moving toward harmonized regulations with our trading partners is where we'll end up.

The point right now is that we want to make sure our trading partners will accept any changes we make to the regulations we want to propose. There is no point in changing the regulations if our trading partners aren't going to accept the changes we make, so we want to make sure they are acceptable.

If we can harmonize with the United States, that makes the trade across the border a whole lot easier—if everything is the same.

[The Chair, Liberal, Kody Blois]

That's great.

Thank you, Mr. Bowman and Mr. Perron.

Mr. Johns, go ahead for two minutes.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Thank you again to all the witnesses for the important testimony.

Mr. Bowman, Animal Health Canada is a new organization. Can you tell us how you see it addressing gaps in our current preparedness?

You have about two minutes to answer and maybe add anything you weren't able to speak to today here in committee.

[Matt Bowman]

I will refer that to Dr. Rosengren.

[Dr. Leigh Rosengren]

I'm so glad you ended the committee on that positive note. We are very excited to be working with Animal Health Canada. CCA is a strong, supporting partner.

It was raised earlier whether CFIA had the capacity to deal with multiple outbreaks or large national outbreaks. It is going to be through the collaboration at the Animal Health Canada table with the federal government, the provincial governments and all the commodities that we are going to solve these very challenging problems.

We're looking forward to the establishment of a new emergency management division, where most of this work will take place.

Thank you.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Do you want to speak a bit more on some of your hopes in terms of addressing the gaps? Maybe you have a little more about where you're hoping you'll see some of that.

[Dr. Leigh Rosengren]

Certainly. From a beef-specific point, certainly we need more preparedness plans and response plans for foot-and-mouth disease. We need to look at our biosecurity protocols and see where there are gaps, do the science and then do the training and the extension through industry.

Dr. Lawson mentioned antimicrobial use and resistance. That falls under the purview of Animal Health Canada. It has a “one health” banner, so it really looks at all of these issues. We had climate change raised today. That would fall under Animal Health Canada. There is the mental health and welfare of producers. There are so many aspects on which we can collaborate and really find strong solutions through this new organization.

[The Chair, Liberal, Kody Blois]

Thank you very much to you both.

Just quickly, Mr. Steinley raised the prospect of the ELDs—electronic logging devices.

I wanted to ask you, Dr. Rosengren or Mr. Bowman, because I've been working with the National Cattle Feeders' Association to try to engage with the Ministry of Transport on this. There seems to be the goal from the National Cattle Feeders' Association to provide additional guidance or perhaps a policy statement that adverse conditions or security of the load would include situations where animal welfare is at risk. In some of the conversations with officials at Transport Canada, they seemed to suggest that there's enough regulatory provision in that right now.

Do you have any comment? You talked about the health of animal transport regulations writ large, and that's well heard, but on the ELD specifically, does CCA have a position?

[Dr. Leigh Rosengren]

We do. Our position is exactly the same as that of the National Cattle Feeders' Association.

What we need is the enforcement, which occurs at the provincial level, to be well understood. Animal welfare would fall under the guidance that allows drivers to make decisions in an emergency situation. We're not asking for an exemption under normal loads, but in situations in which the health or welfare of the animal is impaired by following the hours of service regulation, we're asking that provincial enforcement be well aware that it is the guidance of Transport Canada.

[The Chair, Liberal, Kody Blois]

Just quickly, has that message been heeded thus far, or is there still some work to be done to make sure that position is being articulated?

[Dr. Leigh Rosengren]

We continue to repeat it to anybody who will listen.

[The Chair, Liberal, Kody Blois]

Thank you very much.

On behalf of all the committee, I'd like to thank all our witnesses for taking the time this evening, for your collective work in agriculture and for helping to inform our study. We are going to release you. Enjoy your Monday night.

Colleagues, unfortunately we have just a little more work to do. We're going to go in camera, so please, for those who are online, the quicker you can get in, the quicker we can get this done. We've been delayed, and I won't keep you any longer than I have to.

Thank you to the witnesses.

We will adjourn our public meeting, and we'll see you in our private meeting.

[Proceedings continue in camera]