Pierre Lemieux

[Business of Supply, October 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, one of the responsibilities of the minister is to ensure that the CFIA has the resources it needs to do its job. The member says there are not enough CFIA inspectors, but under our Prime Minister and our Minister of Agriculture, this government has hired over 700 net new inspectors. In our last budget, $50 million in new dollars was allocated for food safety. In the 2011 budget there was $100 million in new dollars for food safety. The member and her party have voted against all of these measures and should be held accountable by Canadians for doing so when the minister is trying to reinforce and increase the resources available for the CFIA.

I would like the member to give an account to Canadians how she can vote against these important measures for us to have a more robust food safety system.

[Business of Supply, October 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is rather unfortunate that the NDP only likes to talk about food safety instead of acting to improve it. I raised previous budgets where we increased funding for CFIA. I also raised the 700 net new inspectors that our government hired. These were all opposed by the NDP.

My question deals with Bill S-11, which arrived in the House today. Despite what the opposition is saying, the bill was in the Senate for 22 sitting days. It is an important bill. It has arrived here in the House. We asked for unanimous consent this morning to have Bill S-11 sent to committee for a thorough study by committee, as happens with all bills. The member and his party denied that consent. I would like to know, does he support Bill S-11 and why will he not give his consent to send it to committee right away so that the bill can move forward legislatively?

[Business of Supply, October 18th, 2012]

No, not from the beginning.

[Business of Supply, October 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for my colleague. We have important legislation coming to the House from the Senate. This morning we asked all parties to agree to get that legislation to committee. It is legislation to make our food safety system even better, to give more regulatory authority to CFIA.

We asked for consent. Her party members rejected consent. They want to slow the bill down in the House. Any kind of amendments they want to bring, they can bring forward in committee. I would like to know why the member and her party have refused to move the bill forward through the House in an expedient manner.

[Food Safety, October 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague two very simple questions.

Does my colleague consider Canadian food to be safe? Does he consider Canadian beef to be safe?

[Food Safety, October 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we need to come back to the point of whether the opposition supports fortifying and reinforcing our food safety system.

I come back to the 700 net new inspectors. I come back to budget elements that increase the financial resources for the CFIA to do its job. It is on record that the opposition members, the New Democrats in particular, voted against these measures. I have a hard time standing here listening to them say they support food safety when at every opportunity they vote against providing more inspectors and against providing more financial capacity to the CFIA. They have to account to Canadians for this.

I ask my colleague to stand up and explain to Canadians the NDP's refusal to support the CFIA.

[Food Safety, October 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to go back to budget 2012 where, very clearly, spending for food safety did increase by $50 million. The member points out that, no, there were cuts to the CFIA. I do want to put a question to him that is very pertinent to the budget.

In three provinces here in Canada, there are more than 50 federal food inspectors who are doing the job of provincial food inspection. This makes no sense at all. So, that budget moves the financial resources and the inspectors over to the province where they rightly belong, where they will carry out provincial food inspections as provincial food inspectors.

Does the member call that a cut or does he call it a transfer? I call it a transfer, but how does he see that?

[Food Safety, October 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the member spoke about food safety and the NDP's commitment to food safety. She also spoke about Bill S-11, which is in the Senate. We have just been informed today that in fact the NDP may not be voting against it. I would like to know what the member likes in that bill and what she does not like in that bill, because the bill will be coming to the House and I would like an assurance as to whether or not she will be voting for it.

[Food Safety, October 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that the minister and our government have taken steps to strengthen our food safety system and to provide the CFIA with more resources so that it can do what it needs to do. The member and his party voted against all these measures.

They have to account to Canadians for letting down Canadians when it comes to reinforcing our food safety system.

[Food Safety, October 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague's first comment echoes my last response, in that I think all parliamentarians need to be responsible in the comments they make about food safety, particularly at a time like this.

I want to assure Canadians that Canadian food is safe. I think Canadians see all of the additional resources that we have delivered to the CFIA to ensure that Canadian food is safe. Canadian beef is safe as well. I want to highlight that.

There is a problem at XL Foods. It has been shut down and will not reopen until the CFIA determines that the XL plant is safe and that the product leaving the plant is safe.

In talking about the problems at XL, there have been corrective measures that the CFIA has demanded XL undertake. The plant will not reopen until those specific measures have been undertaken and the XL plant is determined to be safe by the CFIA.