Thank you very much, and thank you all for coming.
As you know, we are in level six of a pandemic and we sort of have some concern that we need to get back to that.
I understand you are all part of the sodium working group--is that right?--and that it was established by the minister in October 2007. Obviously, we want to know what the working group will come up with. I would like to know when it will report.
In looking at the terms of reference of your working group, it seems to say that you will develop, implement, and oversee a population health strategy based on the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine. It then says that there will be a three-pronged approach: education, a voluntary reduction of sodium levels in processed foods, and research.
I have some concerns. To me, a strategy is what, by when, and how? We already have the what, which is that you want to have Canadians at the Institute of Medicine level. I guess I want to know what's been happening over the last two and a half years. And how do we get going? Is this mandate broad enough for you to do what you need to do? How long did it take to figure out that Canadian All-Bran shouldn't be three times as much as the All-Brans around the world? Do you have enough money to do it? How come you're working in such an invisible way that if it weren't for the Globe and Mail, nobody would even know that there's salt in bread, I don't think.
Without a citizen engagement strategy, without a transparent process for your working group, without some targets, and without adequate resources, I'm a bit concerned that you're not going to get where you need to be, if indeed you're supposed to report in the spring.
I'm not really sure whether the members of this committee knew that this group was already working and is supposed to report. Talk about a silent killer--this is a silent working group that doesn't seem to have the profile it needs to do the job. Do you need more money? Do you need a better process? How are you going to engage Canadians in this job? How on earth would you sit on a committee where you're restricted to voluntary approaches only if that's all you're allowed to report?