Thank you very much, Chair.
Good morning, everyone.
First, thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in this study.
I want to explain what the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, or CFIA, is doing to support the plan entitled federal action plan on antimicrobial resistance and use in Canada: building on the federal framework for action.
The CFIA is a science-based regulatory agency dedicated to safeguarding plants, animals and food.
The CFIA reports to the Minister of Health. Its first priority is the health and safety of Canadians.
The CFIA also supports the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
We thank the committee for inviting the CFIA to speak to this important subject. Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR as you've already heard, is a complex issue that impacts health, agriculture, trade, and the environment, as our portfolio partners have already expressed.
The international community recognizes the need for a high level of collaboration between countries and their industrial partners, to confront the growing public health problem of AMR. Canada has committed to collaborate with other G7 and G20 countries to support the WHO global action plan on AMR, which was adopted at the World Health Assembly in May 2015.
As you've heard, the CFIA and other federal departments and agencies developed the federal framework in 2014 and the federal action plan in 2015 to deliver coordinated federal actions to combat AMR. The CFIA is in the unique position of having existing and well-established collaborative working relationships with agrifood stakeholders, including producers, growers, feed mill operators, processors, veterinary associations, and our provincial and territorial colleagues.
We are actively taking advantage of these relationships to deliver on actions resulting from the federal action plan. The CFIA has been working with our federal, provincial, and territorial partners in human and animal health, along with industry and academia to develop the pan-Canadian framework, and we plan to develop the pan-Canadian action plan to better integrate action across Canada.
Specifically, I would like to talk about how the CFIA supports the four pillars that have already been mentioned. They are surveillance, stewardship, infection prevention and control, and research and innovation.
Let me talk first about surveillance. The CFIA supports monitoring levels of antimicrobial resistance in Canada by contributing to the Canadian antimicrobial resistance surveillance system, CARSS. We do so through our contribution to a specialized program called the Canadian integrated program for antimicrobial resistance surveillance, known as CIPARS, which is led by our PHAC colleagues.
Still, the reality is that medical professionals are the true stewards of antibiotic use. They are the front line in making sure these agents are used prudently. This includes animal health. For this reason, the veterinary community is a key partner in combatting the threat of AMR while safeguarding animal health.
To improve the surveillance of the use of antimicrobials in agricultural settings, the CFIA, along with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and our health portfolio, are working closely with animal producers and veterinarians. We are doing this through the convening of workshops by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System. These workshops are intended to facilitate the articulation of a clear path forward and the encouragement of a coordinated approach within the different sectors.
Let me talk next about stewardship, along with infection prevention and control. The CFIA supports efforts by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association to improve the stewardship of antimicrobials. The agency contributed to the development of the “Veterinary Oversight of Antimicrobial Use - A Pan-Canadian Framework for Professional Standards for Veterinarians” and is contributing to the revision of the guidelines for prudent use of veterinary antimicrobial medications.
As a science-based regulatory agency, the CFIA enforces regulations involving the judicious use of antimicrobials in feed to further support the antimicrobial stewardship. Our role is to verify that the compendium of medicated ingredient brochures is followed and that any feed prescribed by a veterinarian is in line with the requirements of the food and drug regulations. As I said earlier, veterinarians are on the front line safeguarding animal health and promoting the prudent use of antimicrobials. We work closely with animal producers and these veterinarians.
Finally, let me talk about research and innovation. Tracking the emergence of new microbes that can harbour antibiotic resistance requires innovative research and development, as you heard from our colleague Marc Ouellette. Indeed, the federal action plan commits to promoting such innovation through funding collaborative research. CFIA laboratories have answered this call, and in collaboration with other partners, we are developing novel techniques and methods to improve the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in food-borne bacteria, such as through the genomics research and development initiative.
Mr. Chair, progress is being made through our collaborative approach with our partners in government, industry, and academia. Still, there is more work to be done.
I hope this sheds some light on how the CFIA is working to implement the action plan on antimicrobial resistance and use in Canada.
Thank you.
I'll be pleased to answer your questions.