Pierre Lemieux

[Rail Transportation, April 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the fair rail for grain farmers act is good legislation, and it is decisive legislation to help with the challenges facing the supply management sector.

I would ask the member to support this legislation. He asked about amendments, so let us allow the committee to do its work.

Members of the committee heard from witnesses this week. They have not seen any amendments yet, so let us allow the committee members to review the amendments that are proposed and to do their work.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, April 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, last week our government introduced the fair rail for grain farmers act to address the rail capacity challenges currently affecting western Canada, especially farmers.

This week, the agriculture committee has been hearing testimony from all members of the supply chain on this decisive legislation. We are pleased that so many stakeholders are reacting positively to what this legislation seeks to accomplish. According to the Canadian Canola Growers Association, “The measures announced in [last week's] Bill, along with other efforts recently implemented demonstrate the Government is listening to farmers concerns”.

We could not agree more. The opposition has committed to moving this legislation forward without delay and we sincerely hope that the opposition keeps its promise. We look forward to a constructive clause-by-clause review and passage of this important legislation next week.

Farmers are counting on us.

[Meat Inspection Act, March 31st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure members that our government takes animal welfare concerns very seriously. Horses, or equines, have played an important role in Canada's history, and I think we all agree that horses and indeed all animals need to be treated humanely.

Where Conservatives disagree is whether the subject before us today is one of food safety. While this bill is being presented as such, in fact it is not. To remind members, this bill proposes to amend the Meat Inspection Act and the Safe Food for Canadians Act. It would prohibit the import or export of equines for slaughter along with equine meat products for human consumption, unless the equine was raised primarily for human consumption and unless a complete lifetime medical record was provided.

I want to point that it is not just about restricting the movement of horses across the border. This bill includes preventing horses from moving from one province to another within Canada. This is not a food safety issue, and it is certainly not an import-export issue, so I appreciate the opportunity to present clear facts to the House.

Here are the facts of the matter. Horse slaughter is a legitimate business activity in Canada. There are indeed Canadians who eat equine meat. Our government is committed to the humane treatment of animals.

With regard to my first point, equine meat production is a major and legitimate industry in Canada. I would like to provide some additional facts. Over a billion people throughout the world eat approximately one million tonnes of equine meat per year. China alone consumes some 400,000 tonnes. In 2012, the estimated value of the Canadian horse slaughter industry was $122 million. This industry produced approximately 24 million kilograms of equine meat. That same year, 17.7 million kilograms of equine products were exported, which contributed approximately $90 million to the Canadian processing industry.

This industry is important to the economy. It is also a matter of individual choice. Right now, each horse owner in Canada has the right to choose the best end-of-life option for their animals. Canadians care about their horses, and while I appreciate that some people have difficulty with the idea of horse slaughter, the fact is that this is a humane end-of-life option. Let me be clear. Our government does not support taking away rights from horse owners, and this is a matter of principle.

Canada's equine herd grows by approximately 34,000 foals each year. Canadians use end-of-life slaughter for 85% of the annual increase in the domestic horse population. As we can see, this is an important population management tool. The decision to choose slaughter as an end-of-life option should therefore remain a decision for each horse owner to make. As well, the equine slaughter industry employs well over 600 people directly in rural Canada, jobs that will be in danger with the passage of this bill. I would encourage the NDP to stand up for hard-working Canadians instead of trying to ban this industry through the back door.

With regard to my second point, there are in fact Canadians who eat equine meat. They eat approximately 2,000 tonnes per year. The consumption of equine meat is commonplace in Quebec and in the other provinces of Canada. In Quebec, equine meat can be found in supermarkets right next to the beef, chicken and pork.

It is not up to the government to tell Canadians what they can or cannot eat. However, we are responsible for making sure that the food they choose to eat is safe. That is why there are already strict food safety regulations in place.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency performs daily inspections in all federally registered meat establishments to verify that all products are manufactured in accordance with food safety regulations.

Let me further clarify the facts about veterinary drugs such as phenylbutazone, also known as bute.

Bute is an anti-inflammatory commonly used to treat lameness in horses. It is approved by Health Canada for this use as an anti-inflammatory, but it is not approved for use in food-producing animals, and that includes equines destined for human consumption.

For this reason, the CFIA regularly tests equine meat for veterinary drugs, including phenylbutazone. The overwhelming majority of tests reveal freedom from drug residues. In fact, compliance rates are very high, at over 98%.

In addition to testing, other precautions are taken. Since July 2011, the CFIA has required that equines presented for slaughter be accompanied by a complete treatment history for the six months prior to slaughter. The European Union, our largest export market for equine products, accepts this requirement as an appropriate assurance that non-permitted residues are not present.

Under Canada's Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures, all equines presented for slaughter must be accompanied by an equine information document, or EID. The EID links the identity of the animal to a six-month medical history. The six-month period exceeds the recommended withdrawal period for a number of veterinary drugs, including bute. EIDs are just one part of a larger integrated system designed to prevent trace residues in all meat products.

It is important to note that no case of human illness has been attributed to the consumption of horsemeat or veterinary residues therein in North America or in countries of any of our trading partners, so as members can see, Canada already has firm protocols in place to verify that meat products are safe to eat.

To my third point, our government is committed to verifying that all animals destined for slaughter are treated humanely. Here are facts about what we are doing.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's slaughter improvement program has made up to $60 million available to improve federally regulated slaughter facilities. This includes specific investments aimed at improving animal welfare practices. We have committed up to $3.4 million for the development and updating of codes of practices for farm animal care.

Animal welfare assurance systems continue to be eligible for funding under Growing Forward 2. For example, up to $100,000 has been committed to the National Cattle Feeders' Association to help develop and implement a national feedlot animal care assessment program.

As I said earlier, we all agree that animals must be treated humanely. That is why CFIA inspectors are present on site in all federally registered slaughter facilities each day to verify that animal welfare requirements are met. However, if something unfortunate should occur, the CFIA has the authority to investigate animal welfare concerns in instances of non-compliance. The CFIA also has the authority to respond to findings with a full suite of enforcement tools, including criminal prosecution. This is the reality right now, but I cannot speak to the consequences if the current end-of-life option was no longer available.

According to Equine Canada, Bill C-571 would not enhance or add value to existing food safety legislation in Canada, it would not improve the humane welfare of horses in Canada, and it would cause serious implications for Canadian horse owners moving horses interprovincially within Canada.

For all these reasons, our government opposes Bill C-571.

[Meat Inspection Act, March 31st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, if this bill were to pass into law, it would take effect here in Canada. A lot of the comments that the member made might be concerns that are outside of Canada.

CFIA has very strict protocols in place to detect bute, and any horse with bute is not processed for human consumption; it does not happen. There is a 98% compliance rate with that protocol.

Does my colleague have concrete examples of where this law might apply in Canada, which would validate the concerns he raised in his speech?

[Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, March 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, these types of stakeholders are part of the consultation process. The legislation will be going in front of committee and witnesses will be asked to come to committee to comment on the legislation. I would not be surprised at all if these types of stakeholders do come in front of committee.

I must say that the final decisions regarding witnesses and who will come to committee rest with the committee, but the committee will be making certain that it hears from key stakeholders that would be affected by the legislation.

[Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, March 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, there have been numerous quotes and citations from stakeholders who support the legislation. They support the legislation because it is ambitious, but also realistic and achievable because of the excellent consultation between our Minister of Agriculture, our Minister of Transport, and the stakeholders in the supply chain management system. There is no sense setting goals that are completely unachievable, as they would serve no useful purpose. But we do want to set goals that are ambitious.

To respond very directly, the Manitoba minister of agriculture said:

The Manitoba government supports this move as it means trains will be able to travel longer distances along other rail companies' tracks and will improve Manitoba's access to the port in the Churchill, as well as important U.S. markets.

The Alberta minister of agriculture said:

We are pleased that the federal government has brought forward the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act....

The support is there.

[Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, March 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I answered the question. Perhaps the member was not listening when I answered. The bill is going to committee. When it goes to committee, it is the work of committee to have witnesses come to comment on the bill, and the committee will be paying very close attention to the witnesses. That is why it will be inviting witnesses to comment on the bill.

The member also mentioned that it is a shortsighted bill, but I would argue that there are organizations that support this bill and that considerable consultation has gone into putting together this legislation now in front of Parliament.

I will quote the Canadian Canola Growers Association, which said, “The measures announced in yesterday's Bill, along with other efforts recently implemented demonstrate that Government is listening to farmers concerns.” The Canadian Canola Growers Association said the government was listening to farmers, which is what the member is asking for. We are already doing it. We will continue to do it and the committee will be to continue to hear from witnesses on this important legislation.

[Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, March 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, of course I can assure the member and all other members that the government will listen and does listen. This legislation is actually the product of our listening and consulting with stakeholders who are seized with this challenge of moving grain to port.

As the member mentioned, the legislation is in front of the House for debate this afternoon and will then be moving to committee. It is the work of committee to determine how many witnesses will realistically be able to come to be heard at committee with their points of view on the bill. The committee will definitely be listening. MPs from all parties who are members of the committee will certainly be listening to the witnesses who come to comment on the bill. This will follow the normal legislative process, except that it is a more accelerated process because this is a very pressing problem that needs to be addressed in the immediate future.

[Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, March 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier today, this is decisive legislation. It would impose a very ambitious but achievable and realistic target for the rail companies. They are going to be required to move one million metric tonnes of grain on the Prairies each and every week. That is more than double what they were moving a number of weeks ago.

In addition, this legislation would impose administrative monetary penalties of $100,000 a day for non-compliance.

The member is right that she and her NDP colleagues have been asking for action, and that is exactly what this legislation would deliver, after consultations with all of the key stakeholders. That is why the one million metric tonnes is so important. It is ambitious but achievable.

I ask my colleague this question. Will she support this legislation? Will she stand in her place and vote to move this legislation into law for the benefit of our grain farmers?

[Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, March 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand today to speak to Bill C-30, Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act.

Today we debate this important bill that has the singular purpose of improving our supply chain and rail logistics in Canada. Since its introduction on Wednesday, the ministers of agriculture and transport have been out on the ground, meeting with stakeholders in that supply chain and working hard to ensure that this gets done properly and quickly.

The current transportation challenges affect all players in the supply chain, and it is essential that Canadian shippers remain competitive in domestic and international markets. Our government is focused on a way forward that will benefit all shippers, selling every commodity from grain to oil, and that will continue to grow our resource economy.

That is why we are taking immediate action to get all commodities moving faster, through legislation and regulations that are designed to increase supply chain transparency, strengthen contracts between producers and shippers, and help ensure the entire grain handling and transportation system is working at peak capacity. This legislation addresses the immediate needs of our economy and longer-term challenges because our economy needs a system that works today and tomorrow, with the capacity to move what is grown.

Yes, we are counting on all sides of the House of Commons to do the right thing and help us to implement these critical measures as quickly as possible. Our economy depends on it. As we all know, farmers delivered a record crop last year, one-third higher than the previous year and 50% higher than average. As many have said, if this type of performance is expected to be the new normal, we must prepare for that. That is what this legislation is about.

Farmers have not been able to deliver their grain to port or to customers, meaning that they do not have cash to finance their operators or storage capacity for next year's crop. A record $5 billion worth of grain could be sitting in farmers' bins, heading into the next crop year.

That is why earlier this month, we brought forward an order in council under the Canada Transportation Act to stabilize the national transportation system and to get grain moving to port. The order in council requires the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways to move a minimum quantity of western regulated grain each week. We are now building upon that order in council.

We will amend the Canada Transportation Act so that it includes the power to regulate volume requirements, as necessary, and extend the interswitching distances to 160 km for all commodities in the Prairies. We will also amend the Canada Grain Act in order to regulate grain contract provisions; require other information to increase transparency of the performance of railways, ports and terminals; and create the regulatory authority to add greater specificity to service level agreements, as requested by all shippers.

These concrete and comprehensive measures will take effect immediately after they are passed.

Under the bill, we will amend the Canada Transportation Act to set out minimum volumes of grain, in extraordinary circumstances, that railways are required to transport, at the joint recommendation of the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. This change would provide greater predictability for shippers and producers, supporting specific volume performance requirements and ensuring that the supply chain is prepared to respond to peak demand.

Second, our government is creating the regulatory authority to enable the Canadian Transportation Agency to extend interswitching distances to 160 kilometres from 30 kilometres for all commodities on the prairies. Interswitching is an operation performed by railway companies in which one carrier picks up cars from a shipper and drops off these cars to another carrier that performs the line haul.

Increasing the access that farmers and elevators have to the lines of competing railway companies will increase competition among railways for business and give shippers more transportation options. Up to 150 elevators would then have access to more than one railway, compared to only 14 right now. This will increase competition among railways as well as the grain elevators for farmers' business.

Third, we will amend the Canada Grain Act to strengthen contracts between producers and shippers. Regulatory provisions could be created to require that grain companies compensate producers if they do not honour their contracts.

Fourth, we are establishing regulatory power to add great specificity to service level agreements, as asked for by all shippers. We will do this by defining in regulations which operational requirements would be mandatory in these agreements.

These are the immediate measures we are taking in this legislation to get the grain moving now and over the coming months. But we are not stopping there.

We will also require the railways to deliver more timely and detailed data on grain movement. This will help in monitoring the performance of the supply chain. The Canadian Transportation Agency will also gather information from all grain supply chain partners on shipping capacities and plans prior to each new crop year.

This legislation will allow us to adopt clear and realistic solutions so that Canadian shippers have access to a world-class logistics system that will ensure predictable and timely shipping of Canada's agricultural and other products to markets.

Today we are also announcing that the government will expedite the review of the Canada Transportation Act, which will focus first on rail transportation.

This expedited review will evaluate solutions to the structural problems of the grain supply chain and determine how to amend the Canada Transportation Act in order to create a more flexible system.

Taken together, these measures would strengthen contracts between producers and shippers, improve performance by railways, and help ensure that the entire supply chain is working at full capacity.

As the minister of agriculture for Alberta said:

We are pleased that the federal government has brought forward the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, which addresses some of our concerns and will help strengthen rail transportation system performance in the immediate- and long-term.

The minister of agriculture for Manitoba said:

The Manitoba government supports this move as it means trains will be able to travel longer distances along other rail companies’ tracks and will improve Manitoba’s access to the port in Churchill as well as important U.S. markets

Finally, the Canadian Canola Growers Association said:

The measures announced in yesterday’s Bill, along with other efforts recently implemented demonstrate that Government is listening to farmers concerns.

This legislation is not the final step. Our government will continue to engage the full value chain and the provinces to look at the challenges of transporting this year's record harvest and identify all and any improvements moving forward. At the same time, our government will continue to build a stronger grain sector through an aggressive trade and innovation agenda.

We are looking forward to the debate in the House today. This legislation will be moving to committee as soon as possible. I do look to my colleagues in the other parties to support this important legislation before the House.