Agriculture committee  Having testified in front of the investigator, I feel that the investigator was extremely competent and extremely thorough and examined a wide range of issues beyond listeria that are integral to food safety. Again, I would indicate that the investigator's efforts, complemented b

Agriculture committee  Thank you, honourable member. I guess the short answer is always the reality that there are no guarantees, even in food safety. We've talked in front of this committee about the fact that, as Mr. Kingston has mentioned as well, we invest our efforts at multiple points, not just

Agriculture committee  Honourable member, Chair, I'll do my best. I believe that Dr. Holley's—

Agriculture committee  Yes. Dr. Holley's comments, when viewed in their totality, are reflective of the discussions we've had at committee, and they are about the fact that food safety is not determined by any one point of inspection. While a lot has been done and a lot of changes have been adopted, a

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Honourable member, Mr. Chair, I come back to the point very clearly that I believe that the work being done in the plant by the two inspectors certainly did determine that in fact sanitation protocols were being followed, as outlined in both their HACCP plans and as required unde

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Yes. Thank you for the question. Again, my personal notes from that meeting I think very clearly indicated that this was a meeting that had been originally scheduled for February of 2008. It was delayed because I was not available to meet the Maple Leaf representative in Februar

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Thank you for the question. Honourable Chair, I think the fundamental principle, again, is one of finding that correct balance where you can give information to the public that is actionable for them, so they can take that information and turn that into an action they can take

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  An important reality that I hope this committee embraces is that this is about continuous learning. This is about continuous improvement in responding to a very dynamic and changing global risk environment we live in as it relates to both food and--as I'm sure the honourable memb

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  I believe testimony you've heard from a number of sources is that the incubation period for listeria can be quite protracted in healthy individuals and somewhat shorter in those who have other underlying health issues. As was indicated by representatives from Ontario, that epidem

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Mr. Chair, thanks to the honourable member for the question. Mr. Prince in his testimony has fairly clearly indicated that the deployment of our inspection staff is a reflection of both the size and risk associated with the types of plants they provide inspection services for.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Maybe Paul Mayers could speak to the regulatory statutes.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Thank you, honourable member. Mr. Chairman, my comments, I think, echo those that have been made previously by myself and others in testimony before this committee. The fact is that food safety is not delivered by any one point of inspection. Food safety is a continuum of activ

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Mr. Chair, thank you for the question. I don't think it's a difficult thing to square that circle. What I indicated in my opening remarks was simply that there have been those who have brought testimony to this committee suggesting that an additional number of inspectors would h

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Thank you, Madam Swan. Mr. Chairman, honourable members, ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate as well the opportunity to appear again before this committee. Despite the best efforts of the CFIA last summer, Canada bore witness to the tragic loss of life for 22 Canadians and ser

Public Accounts committee  As Mr. Mayers has indicated, we have 200 identified regulated pests in Canada. In other words, if it falls into that category of the 200 pests, we have worked with industry, provinces, and others to determine these are the pests of highest significance. Then if it's a regulated p