First of all, we did take responsibility and accountability for this, because it occurred in our plant, on our watch, with Canadian consumers eating our product. We have an obligation to produce a safe product, and it's an obligation we've held very close for over 100 years. We had systems and protocols in place that we felt were best practice, and they failed us. So accountability and responsibility for that series of events does rest very squarely on our shoulders as an organization, and I'm personally accountable for that organization, so that rests very squarely on my shoulders.
But I think there are lessons to be learned from our responsibilities and what we've learned since August that apply to the rest of the industry or the regulator. I think all the stakeholders, from the regulator to other industry participants and Maple Leaf, can learn from this tragedy and improve in the future. Examples of that are reflected in the new listeria policy that is effective April 1. The CFIA and Health Canada have reflected a large portion of the learning from this in the new policy. Going forward, we believe that policy will be a strong underpinning for food safety in this country. Our caution point is that success in that policy will depend on the rigour and consistency of its implementation nationally and at the borders.
So just because we are the company that has accepted accountability and responsibility for this tragedy does not mean others can't learn from it. I think the whole industry and the regulators need to learn from it, and they are getting better right now. The process of continuous improvement is ongoing, so we need to be better again next year than we are today.