Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to my colleague's remarks. There has been a good deal of interest on this matter in Peterborough riding, the matter of the terminator gene, for example. I have received petitions about that technology and grave concern about it. I think it is a concern we share.
I have also had concerns expressed about the approvals process, how one approves foods of this type. In particular, I have had petitions from farmers and others about choice, choice at the level of seed, not just the matter of the terminator seed but being able to have choice between seed which is genetically modified and seed which is not, as well as choice at the food level. By the way, in both those cases it would involve some sort of labelling or designation of whether or not it has been modified.
There is also a great interest in the international protocol which the member mentioned. There is a good deal of pleasure in the fact that the Royal Society has now set up a panel, which at the behest of the federal government will study these matters.
My question for the member has to do with the nature of labelling. Could she give us some advice on how she thinks the labelling should proceed?
For example, should the labelling indicate where there has been a significant change in the nutritional content of the food? Would that be the sort of criterion? Would it be based on some sort of impression of the extent of the genetic modification involved? Would any sort of genetic modification be labelled or would it not? Would all products produced using genetic modification be labelled or only those resulting from recombinant DNA technology, which is where there is substantial change in the genetic makeup of the crop concerned?
These matters are very important. If there is to be labelling it has to express something which is real in the crop concerned. It has to articulate to the consumer, be it a farmer buying seed or one of us buying food, some real indication of what the genetic change involves. Does the member have any comments on how she sees a labelling regime being developed and applied?