The federal government’s food safety legislation, Bill S-11, could be approved by the House of Commons agriculture committee and sent back to MPs for final debate as early as next week.
Today, the Canadian Meat Council, Retail Council of Canada, importers of regulated products covered by supply management and Dairy Farmers of Canada appeared before the committee to endorse the Safe Food for Canadians Act.
They suggested some minor amendments but embraced the bill’s intention to toughen rules on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s ability to demand and receive information from packing plants, impose a national traceability system for food and toughen inspection rules for food importers.
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“We support this bill,” said Canadian Meat Council executive director Jim Laws, speaking for federally regulated meat packers. “Canadians will benefit from a food supply that is safer.”
Karen Proud of the Retail Council of Canada said Canada’s food retailers support measures that increase consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply. She said there already is high consumer confidence in the Canadian system.
“The Retail Council of Canada and our members fully support S-11,” she said.
Opposition MPs on the committee said they will support the legislation but plan to move some amendments next week, including a call for the federal auditor general to conduct an audit of CFIA inspection resources now so that a mandated five-year audit will have a current baseline for future comparisons.
Since agriculture minister Gerry Ritz has said the amendment is unnecessary because the auditor general can do an audit of CFIA anytime he wants, the Conservative majority on the committee likely will reject the idea.
After just two industry witness sessions this week, the agriculture committee will start clause-by-clause study of S-11 Nov. 6, and the bill could be approved and sent back to the Commons by Nov. 8 before MPs leave Ottawa for a week in their ridings.
Meanwhile, the agriculture committee also is scheduling evening sittings next week to hear selected witnesses on government budget plans to amend the Canada Grain Act and to end some mandatory Canadian Grain Commission services and to begin negotiating increased user fees for farmers and industry players.
