Mr. Speaker, this past Wednesday, my riding of Niagara West—Glanbrook was honoured to welcome the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture as they made an important announcement that will benefit all Canadians.
In the past, the labels “Made in Canada” and “Product of Canada” have had such lenient criteria that they could be applied to products that were produced elsewhere and only packaged here. This meant that despite the label on a bottle of apple juice, the apples could have been grown in China, or despite the label on a box of salmon, the contents could be from Russia. This will no longer be the case. These new rules will ensure that Canadian consumers who wish to buy Canadian products will now be able to trust the label when it says “Product of Canada”.
This announcement has been embraced by Canadians from coast to coast and by agricultural groups, including the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, the Chicken Farmers of Canada, the wine council, the agriculture alliance and the horticulture council. They all agree that this initiative is long overdue and that this government is standing up for farmers and indeed is standing up for all Canadians.