I am always surprised when people tell me that I am a naysayer and that I am absolutely against everything the CFIA does. On the contrary, I support the agency. I think it is staffed by extremely competent people who know how to manage risk. However, that is something we needed 12 years ago, when the agency was created, in 1997. Things have changed since then: we now have a global economy, and there are many more imports.
Earlier, I heard you refer to melamine in milk. That is part of the problem. We have to do something to mitigate risk and inform the public properly in that regard. What exactly is going on out there in the real world?
I think that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency should essentially look after developing a partnership with the industry. I often visit processors, farmers, and different agri-food firms, even in Quebec. I was there last year and I visited certain businesses in the Lanaudière and Laurentians regions. People are ill at ease with the agency. It's as if there is an atmosphere of confrontation; the relationship is strained. In the best interests of the Canadian public, this relationship should be constructive. The agency should be supporting the industry.
Currently, people apprehend the inspections. They ensure that everything is in order, but they don't do it for us, for the business or for its customers. They do it for the agency. Let's not fool ourselves, Maple Leaf is a very well-managed company, in my opinion. Of course, the listeriosis outbreak completely changed it. I referred earlier to the six types of Listeria. Only one represents a threat for humans, for consumers, but Maple Leaf is currently applying a protocol to monitor all six types.
I don't agree with people who say that the industry is less rigorous than what is provided for under the legislation. On the contrary, I feel that the industry is always ahead of the government, and that is why the agency must be structured so as to support the industry, which takes initiatives to adapt rapidly, practically, in real time, when there is a crisis, like listeriosis.