Mr. Speaker I have two petitions concerning the genetic engineering of food, plants and animals.
The petitioners point out that this practice is still relatively new but it now involves the manipulation of the most basic building blocks of life. It can affect normal plants in the surrounding areas through the spread of pollen. They also point out that there may be long term genetic effects as a result.
One petition calls upon parliament to introduce clear labelling of seeds and food products that are genetically engineered so that farmers and consumers have a choice.
The other petition has a similar preamble but the petitioners call upon the federal authorities to ensure that non-genetically engineered seeds will always be available to all Canadian farmers.