Mr. Chair, on another note, but still related to the appearance of the golden nematode in Saint-Amable, in chapter 4 of her 2008 annual report, the Auditor General of Canada indicated that the golden nematode appeared for the first time in Quebec in 2006. That was the first time the golden nematode had shown up in Canada. At the beginning of her remarks, she wrote:
The yearly pest survey plans of the Plant Health Surveillance Unit are not risk-based and focus almost exclusively on existing invasive plants, pests, and diseases rather than identifying potential new threats before they become established plant health emergencies.
Further on, she wrote:
Overall, the Plant Health Program lacks quality management processes in import-related activities key to keeping invasive alien species from entering and becoming established in Canada.
After I read the report, I wondered whether it was possible to conclude that, if the Canadian Food Inspection Agency had been much stricter in its assessment of exotic threats, the golden nematode might never have appeared on our agricultural lands. I would like the minister to comment on that.