Evidence of meeting #36 for International Trade in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was support.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Executive Director, Canada Pork International
It's always been underfunded compared to other countries.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Do you have some sense of what other countries...? We've already seen the shocking figures showing how Australia and the U.S. support their pork industries as compared to the Canadian government. Do you have some sense of comparable funding? These are our major competitors, right. This is really job one. If the government can't get this right, they can't seriously be said to be really pushing the pork industry or the beef industry.
Executive Director, Canada Pork International
At times, you know, it's not putting tons of money into something that will fix it. In this case, when we talk about the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, it's really to make sure that whatever resources they have, and they have some significant ones, are focused on where the issues are. It seems that the market access secretariat might be the solution to our predicament. It remains to be seen how it works and if it will work.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Just so I understand, do you have some sense of what resources the other countries put in?
Executive Director, Canada Pork International
The U.S. has their veterinary attachés all over the place.
I'll give you an example. When I was at the Canadian embassy in Paris, I was the only one handing the whole agricultural sector, plus others. There were 12 Americans working specifically on food and agriculture. Those are the kinds of resources. The agricultural foreign service is very well equipped.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
You don't have those figures for us, or you don't have access to them.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
We as a committee should be endeavouring to get some sense of it ourselves.
Executive Director, Canada Pork International
Yes, but at the same time, Agriculture Canada has put a lot of money recently into the foreign agricultural service, and that seems to be working quite well for the time being. It's starting as well. There are some initiatives that merit a better look and more funding, if need be.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Lee Richardson
No.
We'll go to Mr. Keddy, and then we're going to follow with Mr. Holder, and then we'll wrap it up.
Conservative
Gerald Keddy Conservative South Shore—St. Margaret's, NS
I'd like to welcome our witness and thank him for appearing today. I want to correct the record. My colleagues have made some absolutely outrageous statements. I think the word “shocking” was used. Well, it is shocking. We spend far too much time correcting the record and going back and asking for proof of the instances that the Bloc and the NDP continue to bring up. And they have no proof of any of them. It just wastes committee time.
Mr. Pomerleau, when you hear the opponents talking about the free trade agreement, it must seem to you as if some vacuum exists. We already trade with Columbia. This is not brand-new trade. We've signed an agreement with Jordan. We already trade with Jordan. This trade is already going on. But the opposition parties would say that we should continue to punish our exporters, continue to make them pay high tariffs. Their objection to the regime is based on ideology rather than fact. Look at the agreement with Jordan we signed this morning—we do $98 million worth of business with Jordan. When the Americans signed with Jordan, they were doing $200 million, and that quickly moved to $5 billion. That's the type of exponential opportunity that's there for Canadian agriculture and manufactured goods. We cannot live in a world that wants to continue to shut countries out when those countries have clearly made headway, when trade with those countries is good for the Canadian pork industry, for agriculture, and for non-agricultural goods.
That's all the time I have. I know Ed has pertinent questions.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
Thank you, and I'd like to thank our guest for being here today.
Those are compelling comments that you've made, Mr. Pomerleau.
I'd like to compliment Mr. Guimond. Drawing on your agricultural background, you talked about the economic crisis affecting pork production. I thought your comments were very thoughtful.
I know you have a new colleague here today who hasn't been part of this group. There has been a change in the questioning, and I was quite disappointed by it. It seemed that the questioning was trying to suggest that the pork industry did not care about the circumstances in other countries. You were asked whether you were in favour of free trade at all costs. This suggestion was very sad, from my perspective. I say this as a comment; I'm not asking you to respond. I find it troubling to hear it suggested that the pork industry doesn't care.
What I'd like to drill down on is the pork producers across Canada. Help me understand the percentage of production in each province, just roughly.
Executive Director, Canada Pork International
It's in five provinces, mostly. I would say Manitoba is first, with about one-third. Quebec and Ontario are at about the same level. Then come Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
That's sufficient. What would you say to federal politicians, especially those with pork producers in their ridings, who oppose this free trade agreement?
Executive Director, Canada Pork International
You mean this one in particular?
Executive Director, Canada Pork International
We were successful over the years because we were able to grasp and open every little market we could. We cannot afford to lose any of them. You never know what will happen. We were fortunate that we were not depending on the U.S. for 100% of our exports. We are going through a crisis right now. With COOL and other things, it could have been much worse. We need to diversify and make sure that we have access to every market we can worldwide. Why? Because you never know.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
I heard one of my colleagues at the opposite table make a comment that the amount the pork producers deal with Colombia is effectively trivial, and frankly, I don't think the pork industry is trivial at all. Again, I just find that rhetoric does not help the cause or help the understanding.
Do you think our pork exports to Colombia are trivial?
Executive Director, Canada Pork International
No, they aren't. As I said, we need markets for everything. We have a carcass to sell, so we need markets for every part of that animal. Canadians won't eat some parts or won't eat enough of them, so that's where Colombia is important in our strategy, because they will buy cuts we don't for a better price than we could get anywhere else.
Conservative
Executive Director, Canada Pork International
It is important because it's part of the overall structure.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
I heard another comment about the quality of inspection, suggesting that somehow the export of the pork production from Canada to other parts of the world is inferior or not appropriate. How confident are you in the quality of the exported pork we deliver to Colombia and around the world?
Executive Director, Canada Pork International
We are so confident that it is the first item we promote when we work overseas.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
So you're confident the quality of the inspection process and the quality of the pork you deliver around the world is the highest quality.