Mr. Speaker, I am indeed delighted to have the opportunity to address this House on the subject of Bill C-61, as I represent a region where agriculture is fundamental, where it is one of the underlying sectors of the economy.
I would first like to congratulate the minister and all the members of the House standing committee, who studied the bill and have proposed amendments.
I think Bill C-61 is further proof that our government has paid heed, throughout this 35th Parliament, to all that Canadians from coast to coast have said about the need for the various levels of government and the different departments to manage time and money more effectively.
When producers have less bureaucracy to deal with and less of an investment in time to make the result is a lower product cost; the financial benefits they reap are passed on to food product consumers. In the end, less bureaucracy and less time invested for producers means a lower product cost, which consumers also enjoy.
However, when we look at Bill C-61, we note that all the measures to protect Canadian consumers are still there, along with the added protection afforded by the effective action of departmental officials.
This additional protection for all those who violate the various agriculture-related bills will make it possible to adjust their penalties immediately.
And I also think we will save money if we transfer all these penalties with the possibility of an appeal before a quasi-judicial tribunal. In this way we are saving both time and the taxpayers' money the federal government would otherwise spend to bring all these violators before the courts. The violators themselves may not have to appear in court, but we all know about legal fees and what it costs to be represented in court. What is particularly important in this bill, as in other bills and measures initiated by our government in the past two years, is that it will make our economy, our bureaucracy and our judicial system more efficient.
I think that is what I see as the central focus of all bills on agriculture, because that is what Canadians from coast to coast have asked us to do, and we acted accordingly. We did this in a number of departments. I want to commend the Minister of Agriculture for having the foresight to make changes in these bills so that we can be more efficient.
According to the text of the bill and the proposed amendments, the bill will allow the imposition of penalties through an administrative process, in addition to the criminal sentences authorized by law. The department's officials will be able to set penalties of up to $15,000, based on various criteria provided in the form of tables in the regulations.
It is also worth mentioning that all consultations with the agricultural sector were held before the bill was prepared. When a governments acts in good faith, all the people involved in the bill appreciate the various consultation mechanisms we set up and support the various options we provide. The bill also provides for a reduction of the penalty when the offender pays it within the time limit without challenging it or demanding a hearing to reduce it.
This is another measure that will allow all stakeholders, including governments, producers and those who market agri-food products across the country, to become more effective and efficient and to benefit from large scale savings.
In fact, the industry supports the consulting process and the work done by the standing committee on this bill because we indeed have the effective enforcement of Canadian standards, especially with respect to imported products.
Regarding the importation of agri-food products into our country and the time required to process offenders through the judicial system, we can take measures on site to discipline these offenders
under the threat of monetary penalties. We can provide even greater, almost immediate protection for Canadian consumers.
When I look at the various aspects of this bill and of some amendments put forward by the standing committee, I think that our government has taken a giant step in assuming its responsibilities toward our agricultural industry and toward Canadian consumers. I have no hesitation in supporting this bill and the amendments proposed by the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.