I might disagree that the European standards for food are significantly different than they are in Canada. Certainly among all countries, one finds modest differences. But the reality is that our European colleagues work very closely with us in the area of food standards under the United Nations Committee Codex Alimentarius, the international standard-setting body for foods. Canada, like the European Union, often bases its standards on Codex Alimentarius standards. Our European colleagues have a very rich trading relationship with us here in Canada, and while there are certainly some modest differences across many areas of the food supply, we are recognized by the European Union as equivalent. The focus is on not identical but equivalent outcomes, and that's critical to our success.
On November 25th, 2013. See this statement in context.