Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve to know that the food they are putting on their families' table is safe.
During the deadly listeriosis outbreak last summer, the government assured Canadians that 2,000 new meat inspectors would be put on the job. They were not. Now we hear that it has suspended the listeria testing program and that it does not know how many inspectors it really has. It is no wonder Canadians do not trust the government with the safety of their food.
How can Canadians feel safe when the minister's department cannot even tell the country how many meat inspectors it has?