Agriculture committee  Thank you very much. There is a protocol, and as a result of that protocol, the actions you heard described were implemented by our trading partner, in this case the United States. Prior to the work we have recently done with the United States to develop new guidelines, the aut

Agriculture committee  This was one of the very serious limitations of the previous protocols: that there was not a clear basis on which to return lands that had been identified as positive to production. In the new guidelines, this has been addressed. Now regulatory action with regard to a field will

Agriculture committee  That's correct. The guidelines have not been concluded. Both the CFIA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's animal and plant health inspection service have agreed. The protocol is now in the hands of the industry on both sides of the border for their input, and it is our hope

Agriculture committee  Yes. We have had potato cyst nematode in Canada for many decades, albeit in specific parts of the country and clearly at a very low level of prevalence.

Agriculture committee  While I'm talking about it, probability is very important. There is, of course, the potential for high levels of infestation or very low-level prevalence. What we seek to do is, of course, detect. However, it is important to understand that detecting a low-probability event will

Agriculture committee  We absolutely agree that there has to be clarity going forward. In fact, that's exactly why, in the negotiations with the U.S, the issue of clarity on how you remove controls was a particular focus. And we have that now.

Agriculture committee  The answer is, with two negative test results from two separate intensive surveys. We have that clarity. We are already gearing up to hit the ground in terms of doing that survey work so we can get these farms out of regulatory control as soon as we possibly can, because we fully

Agriculture committee  That is the entire aim of the removal of controls. It is to be in a position, to be clear, and to state to whoever is interested in the information that these fields—and it's even not just farms, it's right down to fields—are no longer subject to any regulatory controls as it rel

Agriculture committee  Thank you. In terms of the guidelines themselves, as I mentioned, they're currently with the industry. We anticipate receiving the comments from the industry on both sides of the border in the next several days, frankly. That's our expectation. Once we have those comments and

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Thank you very much. Let me start with the issue of a minimum standard to trigger concern, because it is an extremely important consideration. My colleague earlier noted that what we seek to do is to be in a position to provide information to Canadians that allows them to take

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Thank you very much. Our controls would be characterized as being consistent with or exceeding the controls in any of the developed countries that have similar food safety systems. The combination of environmental testing and end product testing conducted by the industry, comple

Public Accounts committee  Thank you very much. The issue of natural health products and the shared responsibilities that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada have in terms of food safety relate to the point the honourable member raised. In the case of natural health products, with new r

Public Accounts committee  Thank you very much. The answer that Stephen provided earlier gives some insight into the challenge we face. The investment that we've already started to make in terms of some short-term solutions on our IM/IT, coupled with, as the president has noted, a broader assessment of wh

Public Accounts committee  Absolutely.

Public Accounts committee  Absolutely. Thank you. As Dr. Evans noted, there are a number of pathways of concern. Those pathways don't only relate to the import of plant products. Wood packaging material and the risks it presents can also be a significant issue. That is why the focus of our activities is r