I often hear about another problem. Ms. Coady also mentioned it earlier, and you gave a brief overview of the issue. It has to do with products coming from abroad.
For a long time now, we have been making representations to all governments. I was elected in 2004, and at that time, the Liberals were in power, whereas now, the Conservatives are in power. This is a recurring problem that we hear about again and again. Sometimes we feel—and producers are under this impression—that we do not necessarily carry out the same kind of inspections for imported products as we do for domestic products.
I can name a number of products, pesticides and others, that are banned in Canada but not in the United States, China, India and other countries. These products manage to make their way onto our markets and compete with our products. Consumers are increasingly aware of this and, fortunately, they no longer feel that they have to choose the best-looking apple the best-looking tomato. It is as if we were creating visually attractive food products, whereas in the past, when my grandparents had a farm, the carrots that came from the garden were sometimes funny looking, but they were much better than many of the carrots we find on our tables today. I am talking about imported carrots, because our local carrots are still very, very good.
While appearance might be a consideration, nonetheless, consumers seem to be much more aware now and they want to buy local products. However, the government is also responsible for such matters and it must see to it that when products are imported from abroad, they meet our local standards.
Some officials once laughed at me because I asked why we are not doing on-site inspections to see how people go about growing their fruits and vegetables. Perhaps they thought that I just wanted an opportunity to travel, but I do not think my question was outlandish. The Japanese, for instance, come to our slaughterhouses to verify how we prepare the meat because they want to know what they are buying, how the product is made, how it grows, what additives it may contain, and so forth. The government has an important responsibility here.
I would like to know whether you think it is important for us to meet each others' standards and whether the problems you encounter are the same as the ones that are regularly being brought to my attention.