I would also just add that you have to place line 6. It's not just floating there by itself. We have to take it in the context of the whole clause here. It's in the context of the specificity that is present in lines 8 to 10 now, which go on to say, “knowing that or being reckless as to whether entering such a place or taking in the animal...could result....”
I think farm workers are protected. They should know. For example, if I visit a farm on which there is potentially an avian flu outbreak and I know that's there and I decide to visit another farm where chickens are kept, I know that I have the potential of transferring a disease.
Similarly, I made mention of the fact that back in the day, when I was a tree planter, when we were entering cattle lands, ranching lands in British Columbia, we were told of the danger of foot and mouth disease. We knew of that and we had to take the appropriate steps. It was on us to spray down our boots and spray down the wheels of our truck. If we had gone into those lands, we would have done so knowing that our presence there could have resulted in the exposure of animals to disease.
I think that even with the removal of “lawful authority or excuse”, the rest of the clause still has language in there to say that farm workers, at the very least, should know about the dangers that exist in that region. They should know about the dangers of going from farm to farm, and they should be educated on what those risks are, so that if they take adequate measures, they are not going to run afoul of this law.
I think that this phrase, “lawful authority or excuse”, in line 6 steers this piece of federal legislation too far into provincial jurisdiction. We are getting into the murky waters of provincial jurisdiction over trespass. I think it's very important that we stay in our lane, that we amend the law that is specifically dealing with biosecurity measures, and that we not get into provincial jurisdiction.
If people are concerned about people being on private property without lawful authority or excuse, they can go talk to their MPP. They can go talk to their MLA or their member of the national assembly and tell them they want provincial laws to be strengthened. The federal government has no role in there. We have to stay in our lane.