Madam Speaker, the member for Calgary—Nose Hill makes the important link between the estimates we are debating tonight, which deals with the Department of Health, and various reports by the auditor general relating to activities pursuant to Health Canada.
The question I would like to ask concerns the indepth investigations by the auditor general on the safety of our food supply in Canada today. The member will know that the auditor general has been fairly critical about both the Health Protection Branch and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in not appropriately resourcing their programs to ensure the precautionary principle is applied at all times.
In the last few days we have heard concerns raised about mercury in fish, mad cow disease, salmonella and other major issues. Would the member support the idea of more money being taken from the surplus and being put into the Health Protection Branch to ensure adequate resourcing and an independent science capacity so that all attempts necessary to protect Canadians at risk in terms of the food supply can be taken?