Environment committee  I would echo those thoughts, and just say that we need to be sure we're giving the right tools to the people who need to do the job. It's good to have the great umbrella put together, but maybe the role of CFIA in all of this—as they're out and about looking—needs some funding an

Environment committee  I would say one of the challenges we see is adequate funding for the CFIA. I know that's not Environment Canada's responsibility. But they are facing tremendous cutbacks, as is everybody. When we see inspectors come out from there to try to prevent the sort of thing we're talking

Environment committee  A blanket ban of any sort of pesticide, herbicides in particular, would really be devastating from our perspective, not only economically but for the ecosystem.

Environment committee  I would have to confess to a great deal of ignorance about termites.

Environment committee  Public image is really closely tied to the economic success of our industry. We sell plants to the public, and if they are critical of a certain kind of plant.... To pick on ash again, nobody is planting them. Municipalities have stopped completely. The diversity in the landscape

Environment committee  I think some of that might have been addressed as priority number two by Ms. Wallin. It's establishing some way for provincial councils, invasive species councils, and planning councils to have some sort of national forum so they can share their experiences and effective strateg

Environment committee  I will not deny that our industry has been involved in the spread of species in the past. Some of that goes way back, and you can see by looking at me that I might not have been around to see all that happen. In recent years, with the things I've been involved in, as I've watche

Environment committee  That's a very good question. I think that might be something beneficial. Maybe because it was short notice, we haven't followed the study as closely as we ought to before we came here. We really didn't know how to present and to be the very best prepared. Should it go public?

Environment committee  Yes. Our company is not actively involved with it, so I haven't done a lot, but I've worked in the process. Maybe just before I jump into that, could I comment briefly on your previous question about how it might be done? Rusts in particular are carried on alternate hosts to the

Environment committee  It doesn't happen with Berberis—that example. Once it is known that a species can be an alternate host, it does not come in. This one in particular has been a bit of a project of mine, because there are new genetics within that species that are proven to not be a host. But CFIA s

Environment committee  That's right. Some of that is undertaken as well by the USDA. There is collaboration there, so within North America there's a little bit more freedom. Certainly for something from off continent, we need to have extensive work done on it, and often that just does not happen, bec

Environment committee  Often you can't even apply for it if it's not on their list. We need to apply for import permits on a wide range of plants that have had some environmental impact in some local context, and they won't issue them in certain parts of the country.

Environment committee  I would say that we would appreciate a network of some sort to communicate nationally, so problems in different regions are communicated properly through some forum. We appreciate what is being done. In horticulture we work a lot with CFIA. Maybe a lot of that has to do with in

Environment committee  That's right, yes.

Environment committee  Thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity to be here. My name is Owen Vanstone and I'm here today on the behalf of the ornamental horticulture sector, specifically representing the Canadian Nursery and Landscape Association, or the CNLA. I'm a member of the CNLA through