Mr. Speaker, this morning, I would like to present petition e‑6768, which has been signed by over 4,000 people.
The petitioners are calling on the government to ensure proper labelling of food made from gene-edited plants and genetically modified foods. That is important. The petition also talks about genetically engineered livestock and makes the same requests in that regard.
I will read the petition:
Whereas:
Genetically engineered foods, also referred to as genetically modified foods or genetically modified organisms (GMOs), are not required to be labelled in Canada and companies are not voluntarily labelling their genetically engineered food and food ingredients;
New genetic engineering techniques of gene editing, such as CRISPR, are projected to lead to the development of many new genetically engineered foods, including genetically engineered fruits and vegetables as well as genetically engineered livestock;
Many foods from gene-edited plants will not be assessed for safety by Health Canada and will not appear on Health Canada's list of approved novel foods;
Many Canadians want access to information about how their food is produced and public opinion polls have consistently found that over 75% of Canadians want mandatory labelling of genetically engineered foods;
Mandatory labelling will simplify the tracking of GMOs in supply chains for food businesses;
Mandatory labelling will provide transparency to improve public trust in Canada's food system; and
The federal government has stated its commitment to the principle of transparency.
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to establish mandatory labelling of all genetically engineered foods sold in Canada.
That is what these people are calling for. I think that we need to comply with their request for transparency. I thank them for preparing this petition, which I am pleased to present this morning.