Agriculture committee  There is definitely a slaughter problem, not only in Quebec, but across Canada. It has to be acknowledged and dealt with through regulation and support, particularly through market access measures. I know there has been a lot of discussion about the code of practice among distrib

Agriculture committee  Additional efforts are required in this area. I personally have confidence in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. I believe that Canada is a model in terms of food safety. Canada's performance has often been compared to that of other countries. I'm guessing that you are suggesti

Agriculture committee  I acknowledge that these gaps exist and that there is work to be done in this area. As I just mentioned, we can look at what the U.S. Department of Agriculture is doing. I spent six months in the United States last winter, and was able to look at their practices. They proactivel

Agriculture committee  I can understand the geopolitical side of the decision, but think it was a mistake. It penalizes our producers and, by doing so, jeopardizes our country's food security, and that of other countries.

Agriculture committee  Thank you for the question. I should point out that I sit on the board of directors of the Second Harvest charity in Toronto. I believe that the CEO of the organization, Ms. Lori Nikkel, will be testifying before the committee in the next hour, and that would be a good question t

Agriculture committee  The supermarket chains have fewer products to give away because people are paying closer attention to the food they buy. People now buy more of their food at the last minute. More and more food is being sold after its best before date. That's because the cost of food is increasin

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members. I would like to thank the committee for inviting me here again. This is the ninth time. I’ve always enjoyed my discussions with this committee over the years. Today I’m also joined by my colleague Janet Music, who is also from the lab

Fisheries committee  Three things? I don't want to take too much time.

Fisheries committee  One is that we need to know exactly the scope of the problem. We do not know in Canada. How big is the problem here? The second thing I would do is design and create a safe place for industry and consumers to go to declare suspicious cases. The third thing is to encourage com

Fisheries committee  It's been since 2013. The horse meat scandal they went through really raised a lot of eyebrows and policy changed almost overnight. Research on food fraud was well funded and new technologies came about. That's why Europe is a bit ahead of the game here. I'm not suggesting that

Fisheries committee  Absolutely. We've had discussions with the Center for Food Integrity in the United Kingdom quite a bit. The one thing I've learned through the years is that they actually take food fraud seriously. So far, the CFIA has received a budget of $25 million over five years to look

Fisheries committee  That's a good question. I was expecting the question, but I don't know if I have a good answer for you. Frankly, the tax burden on some companies is quite heavy. The government could look at that issue. The advantages of certification could also be promoted. I'll give you an ex

Fisheries committee  Absolutely. I think your opening comment was quite important here. When I talk about food fraud, I often say to people that if you walk into a sushi place—before COVID— and it's an “all you can eat” sushi bar for $15 a person, you have to ask yourself some questions. This is rea

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mrs. Desbiens. Mr. Hardy's question is somewhat complex. A distinction needs to be drawn between the retail world and the food service industry. The issue of fraud does not crop up in the same way in both places. Concerning retail sales, the distributors are really t

Fisheries committee  I would say that the major problem I would focus on is imports, to be honest. There's a lack of surveillance, and compliance becomes an issue domestically, I would say. We do already have a lot of regulations in Canada to support our companies right here in our own backyard. Fran