Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be here tonight to address this issue. It is upsetting that the Liberals, and more specifically, the member for Malpeque, are once again attacking the integrity of Canadians like Sheila Weatherill. Unfortunately this is nothing new for them or for the member. The only thing they offered farmers in the last election was a carbon tax that would have destroyed the agricultural industry, but did nothing to try and secure our food supply.
By contrast, on September 6, 2008, our Prime Minister promptly announced the terms of reference for a full, independent investigation to determine exactly what transpired when listeria was found in ready-to-eat meats made by Maple Leaf Foods. It stipulated in the terms of reference, which I am sure the member opposite knows, that the investigation would examine the events, circumstances and factors that contributed to the outbreak and would review the efficiency and effectiveness of the response by federal agencies in terms of prevention, in terms of the recall of contaminated products in collaboration and communication among partners in the food safety system and the public. It would also provide a full report with recommendations aimed at enhancing prevention of future outbreaks and the removal of contaminated products from stores and warehouses, all to be submitted to the Minister of Agriculture by July 20 of 2009.
Following the outbreak, the CFIA acted quickly to initiate recalls. Both industry and government worked diligently together to determine what had happened and to prevent it from happening again.
On January 20, the Prime Minister appointed Sheila Weatherill, former president and chief executive officer of the Capital Health authority in Edmonton, as the independent investigator into the August 2008 listeria outbreak. The investigation's terms provided the means to scrutinize the efficiency and effectiveness of the government's response to determine what contributed to the outbreak and to help further enhance the Canadian food safety system to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
The government is confident that this course of action will lead to a timely and comprehensive examination. We welcome all honest efforts toward improving food safety.