Health committee  In terms of the resources to implement the change, yes, the agency has the necessary resources to implement this change. It has seen significant investment in terms of front-line inspection. In terms of a specific resource audit, the Safe Food for Canadian Act does include a specific obligation with respect to an audit of resources five years after the coming into force and the agency is committed to following that course.

Health committee  Thank you for the question. Listeria monocytogenes is an environmental pathogen. As a result, it can be present in a wide variety of products as an environmental contaminant. The approach that the agency uses in terms of its oversight with respect to listeria includes sampling and testing of a diverse range of products.

Health committee  The improvement relates to a greater focus on preventive controls on the part of both industry and government. Indeed, the Safe Food for Canadians Act includes important enhancements in terms of authorities with respect to the requirement that businesses assess the potential routes of introduction of hazards.

Health committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am Paul Mayers, vice-president of policy and programs at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, or CFIA. The $38.8-million increase reflected in supplementary estimates will help the agency continue to deliver on its mandate for food safety, animal and plant health, and the Government of Canada priorities.

Agriculture committee  Thank you for the question. I'll answer briefly so as to avoid having my colleagues attempt to speak on behalf of the agency, which I know puts them in an awkward position. As it relates to the issue of the resource profile in the agency, of course the commitment on the part of the government is a matter of policy, and I won't comment with respect to that matter.

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Minister. Certainly, as you've noted, our priority continues to be food safety. In terms of the issues with respect to resources that have recently been reflected in the media, as I noted in my earlier response, the agency continues to place its focus on ensuring that front-line inspection continues to be protected and that will continue to be our approach.

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Minister. Thank you for the question. Just briefly, the last time I had the pleasure of being at this committee there was a question with respect to the agency. We did follow up and provided the committee with a reflection of the focus that the agency has placed on front-line inspection in particular, which, you will recall from the information we've provided, has demonstrated quite a significant increase in inspection.

Agriculture committee  I certainly can't confirm the numbers that you were throwing out, but it's important to understand that the consolidated federal presence at border crossings is carried out by our colleagues in the Canada Border Services Agency, and CFIA supports our colleagues at the CBSA on demand.

Agriculture committee  CBSA is indeed trained, and CFIA supports CBSA in terms of the training of front-line border inspections. They have the first step. They refer cases to the CFIA when that referral is necessary, and we then carry out further support and inspection on that basis.

Agriculture committee  I don't have all of the information at my fingertips. The spending within the agency in terms of food safety has grown dramatically since that time. We do publish on our website, as a matter of course, this information, so we can provide that information to the committee in terms of numbers.

Agriculture committee  In terms of a third party assessment of the agency, we did have a PriceWaterhouseCoopers study with respect to the agency, which was previously reported.

Agriculture committee  Absolutely. That's complementary to what I was going to say. We've been working closely with various production sectors, and poultry has been an important one to address the issue of biosecurity. For both the small and large producers, one of the most significant challenges is that question of “Am I going to have a disease situation tomorrow that minimizes my potential to market product?”

Agriculture committee  Interprovincial trade is a critical consideration, and all provinces and territories, along with the federal government, are seized with the enhancement of interprovincial trade in a more predictable context. One of the considerations in that regard is regulatory. We do have some differences in the Canadian fabric from a regulatory perspective, because of the complementary jurisdiction.

Agriculture committee  Well, as you know, it is not for public servants to comment on policy, and I'm sure you appreciate that. What I will note is that in the agency we're very aware of areas of pressure that industry stakeholders have identified. In their view, our service is not sufficiently consistent or sufficiently timely.

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much for the question. Using CETA as the example, we've been working very closely with our colleagues in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Global Affairs Canada, and the meat industry to ensure that their needs are realized with respect to meaningful market access improvement as a result of CETA.