Agriculture committee  I would say that the technology is there, but it's also for us—and “us” being the food inspection agency, the industry, and our colleagues at Agriculture Canada—to make use of that. One of the key areas—and you made reference to the TB—is traceability, but it also came up relat

Agriculture committee  That's a good question. For the agency, definitely, how we prioritize and where we put our money is important as well. Money sunsets and comes and goes. We have enough assets right now to do our job, and I think we are able to do it well. Having said that, how we prioritize the

Agriculture committee  Yes, of course.

Agriculture committee  That is a good question. All interprovincial and international standards come under federal government responsibility. The standards that apply to provincial abattoirs, for example, come under provincial responsibility, but interprovincial and international trade comes under the

Agriculture committee  In general, federal standards are higher.

Agriculture committee  Exactly.

Agriculture committee  I will start the answer and my colleague Mr. Seppey might well want to make some comments. First of all, a trade war does no one any good. There have to be predictable rules and legislation. Perhaps there will be short term advantages for Canada, for pork exports, for example, b

Agriculture committee  Yes.

Agriculture committee  I'm sorry, but I will answer in English because I can to be more specific that way. Obviously no agency inspects everything around the world. As Mr. Seppey and I said, we look at the outcomes. Is the product safe, whole, and good for Canadians? How they produce it and the rules

Agriculture committee  Okay. Thank you for your question, Mr. Poissant. We work together. There is no silo in terms of each group. For example, now, through the new branch, the agency and the department are working together. Within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, there are groups responsible for

Agriculture committee  It depends on the country and product. As I said, the agency inspects products outside Canada, but it also inspects products when they arrive in Canada.

Agriculture committee  Methods of protection?

Agriculture committee  I think I understand your question. The agency trusts products arriving in Canada. The Agency may inspect products in Egypt or elsewhere and the factories that manufacture these products, but it must always assess the risk and determine whether it is high or low. It's a way of d

Agriculture committee  Thank you. Actually, science is at the root of all the decisions the agency makes. There is science, political science and social sciences. Decisions are based on what is truly science, because it is impartial and it does not involve emotions. Science reassures us that the decis

Agriculture committee  There is co-operation between Canada and other countries in terms of regulations. I will use the same example. When we do a risk assessment, we work with the other country in regulatory co-operation. Often, we will look at what we can do between the two countries where our regul