Mr. Speaker, Canadian slaughterhouses are already starting to close. Our beef producers have to absorb the high cost of complying with regulations on specified risk material designed to meet high food safety standards, requiring that they get rid of tissue from all cattle slaughtered.
In the meantime, American producers are selling us their beef, which meets only 90% of our safety criteria, at one quarter the cost.
What is the government waiting for to ensure the survival of Canadian and Quebec beef producers without lowering the safety standards the public demands?