Debates of Oct. 3rd, 2012

Food Safety

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for finally seeing the light and telling us he is actually going to support a piece of legislation.

I would encourage members to check the record to see the last time New Democrats actually supported something that is good for Canadians. I think this is going to break a record, I really do. Anything we have done for seniors, for the unemployed, or to help Canadians get back to work, they have voted against it. We need to put that on the record. If New Democrats are actually going to vote to help us fulfill our promise to complete the suggestions in the Weatherill report, it is great that they are finally coming on board.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, a lot has been said about Bill S-11 tonight, and I want to provide a little history on it.

Bill S-11 encompasses some of what was in Bill C-27 in 2005. It was opposed by members who are sitting over there, now in the government. I will tell members who led the fight to oppose the government in implementing those new safety measures for the CFIA. It was the current Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. That is who led the fight, the agriculture critic for the official opposition of the day. Let us get that on the record.

The Minister of State for Finance talks about rhetoric on this side. If he wants to assure people and do away with the rhetoric, then the two ministers responsible, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, should show up and answer questions. They should call a press conference and assure Canadians—

[The Acting Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

The hon. member for Malpeque will know that members are not to refer to the absence or presence of members in the chamber.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, that is the second time I have been accused of saying people are not in the House. I did not say that. I said the Minister of Health and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food should answer questions, which is their responsibility.

[The Acting Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

Nonetheless, the time has expired for the member to put the question.

The hon. Minister of State.

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, is that not just like a true Liberal to suggest that the government needs to shore up the price of beef. It never ceases to amaze me how a Liberal thinks that government should intervene in everything.

Government has a role. The government's role is to put in place the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. That was done years ago. Its role is to inspect food, whether it is beef, whether it is pork, whether it is vegetables or fruit crops. It does that. We have increased the number of inspectors.

As I said before, this is not a zero risk situation. It has done its best. It is working on it as we speak. The plant is closed. There is no more beef being produced at that plant. The CFIA is doing its best.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister talked about the beef plant in his riding in Cargill. I have XL Foods in my riding. I know that the minister has actually visited the plant and gone through it. He knows, as a farmer and cattleman, that these meat inspectors are there on the job and that in order for them to actually find out what the issues are it takes a lot of digging.

I am sure the minister could actually enlighten us rather than having the opposition think that with a flip of a switch the whole issue will be solved. This takes a lot of dedicated work and investigation. I ask my hon. colleague if he would comment on that.

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we offer our sympathies to the community of Brooks, to the employees of that facility, as well as those who have fallen ill from this.

Indeed, the member is correct. Cargill has a large meat processing facility in my riding of Macleod. It encouraged me to come and tour its facility. It is not a simple process. The company does not just let anybody in. We had to jump through the hoops because of the security involved to protect the safety of the products in there. One goes in there completely covered in plastic to ensure there is no cross-contamination whatsoever. I met with the CFIA inspectors. I have lost track of how many CFIA inspectors I met with. They talked about their role. They are proud of their job. They are out there trying to protect consumers. That is what the Canadian Food Inspection Agency does.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this debate to a different level. I want to quote from the Weatherill report. In addition to the fact that we have lost food inspectors and we are concerned about food safety, we may not be addressing the big picture. The Weatherill report reads:

The risks of foodborne illness are also greater than ever before. Large scale farming and food processing...impacts of globalization...with access to foods from around the world, all contribute to increased opportunities for contamination. These same trends make it harder to trace the source....

I look at this one plant processing between 2,000 and 5,000 cattle a day, up to 40% of all the beef in Canada, and ask if perhaps the industrialized, concentrated corporate food model is not about food but about corporate profits and we would be better to support local farmers, local abattoirs and local processing

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of nonfactual comments in that. We have a system in place to deal with the processes we have in place. It is all wonderful to think that we can go back to only providing food for a 10 mile radius around our homes. That would be a bit of a challenge in downtown Toronto.

We have a safe system that deals with our modern way of producing food, whether it is apples, strawberries or beef. The world moves on and the CFIA has moved on to meet that. We have recognized that.

I would like to correct the hon. member. We actually have more meat inspectors than we had in 2006, 700 more. That sort of rhetoric is what frightens people. That is not helpful. We need to reassure people that the plant is closed. There is no more meat coming out of that plant until the CFIA says that it is safe to do so.

[The Acting Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

I thank all hon. members for their participation this evening and that of our staff, our clerks and pages.

It being 12.02 a.m., I declare the motion to adjourn carried. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until later this day at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 12:02 a.m.)