Ruth Ellen Brosseau

[Food Safety, April 1st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are missing in action when it comes to protecting Canadians' health. Twenty-two people died from listeriosis in 2008 after having consumed contaminated meat. However, under the Conservatives, one-third of the food inspector positions at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency remain unfilled. These inspectors are responsible for overseeing the meat processing factories in northern Alberta.

Why are the Conservatives putting Canadians' lives at risk with these completely irresponsible cuts?

[Food Safety, March 31st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, meat exported to the United States is subject to more inspections than meat destined for Canadians. That is completely unacceptable.

To save a few dollars, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is cutting the number of inspections. These were put in place to prevent a food industry crisis such as the one that occurred in 2008, when 22 people died and dozens fell ill.

Why are the Conservatives moving backwards and putting Canadians' health at risk?

[Grain Transportation, March 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, grain farmers will continue to pay the price for the Conservatives' mismanagement. Over the weekend we learned that the government would not renew the grain transportation quotas. These quotas are important for farmers and many of them are still having a hard time emptying their silos.

How can the government justify siding with the rail companies instead of taking a stand and protecting our farmers?

[Agriculture, March 9th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, after Belarus, Peru, Taiwan, South Korea and Indonesia, now China is closing its borders to Canadian beef in the wake of the latest case of mad cow in Alberta.

By cutting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's budget by 20%, the Conservatives jeopardized Canadian beef exports. The Conservatives played fast and loose with our producers' livelihood, and that is completely irresponsible.

When will the Conservatives take action to protect our Canadian producers and avoid a new crisis?

[Regional Economic Development, February 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, since 2002, Mauricie's manufacturing sector has lost 50% of its workforce. That means 12,000 fewer jobs in Mauricie. In 2014, Trois-Rivières was Canada's only metropolitan area whose GDP dropped.

Mauricie needs investments and economic diversification, but instead, this government cut EDC's budget for the Quebec economic development program by 27%.

Why is this government abandoning the people in my riding?

[Food Safety, February 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, in response to recent cases of mad cow disease in Alberta, five countries have now issued restrictions against our beef. South Korea, a big market for our beef, even closed its borders. However, last week, we were told that these new cases would have no impact on Canadian beef exports. What is worse, producers were just starting to recover from the last crisis.

How does the government plan to do to protect the livelihood of Canadian beef producers?

[Food Safety, February 23rd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, La Presse revealed today that inspectors from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are victims of intimidation when they perform their duties to the letter. They are even transferred if they report problems or are too insistent. Staff cuts are putting even more pressure on the remaining inspectors.

Does the minister realize that the credibility of the agri-food industry and public safety are called into question by today's revelations?

[Housing, February 6th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in Trois-Rivières, the Coalition d'aide aux victimes de la pyrrhotite launched a national solidarity campaign, in response to the government's inaction and its failure to help thousands of families break free from their nightmare. In the meantime, the government is collecting millions of dollars in taxes from the repair work being done on the homes.

When will the minister show some courage and finally work with the different levels of government to find a definitive solution to help the pyrrhotite victims?

[Agriculture and Agri-food, January 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, when Groupe Épicia declared bankruptcy this month, it owed vegetable producers $3.5 million. That is a lot of money for vegetable producers, who have no guarantee that they will get their money back since they still do not have a payment protection program.

For a long time now, the Fresh Produce Alliance has been calling for a program similar to the one that the Americans created to protect payments owed to farmers.

When will the government finally listen to farmers and bring in a simple measure such as this?

[Agriculture and Agri-food, January 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, current fruit and vegetable producers are uniquely vulnerable against lost payments because, when a client goes bankrupt, they cannot just demand their product back. However, Conservatives' stubbornness has left them completely without protection. Conservatives have refused to introduce a payment protection program here in Canada, and as a result, the United States withdrew the protection it had extended to Canadians under its own program.

Why are Conservatives refusing to protect farmers with such an easy, simple solution?