A $1 billion class action suit that alleges the federal government was negligent in preventing Canada’s BSE crisis and the subsequent loss of income to cattle producers was granted authorization to proceed by a Quebec court June 15.
Similar class action claims were filed in, Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan in 2005.
The Alberta and Saskatchewan actions are on hold and Ontario is waiting for a decision from the provincial court of appeal, said Ontario attorney Cameron Pallett.
“They are four separate actions and normally what happens in a national class action is that it gets consolidated at some point,” said Pallett.
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The case may not go to trial for another year and if it is lost in the lower court, it is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, he said.
The suit claims the federal government did not properly trace back 80 British imports when a BSE case was discovered on a Red Deer ranch in 1993. In February 1990, Canada banned the importation of cattle from Great Britain and Ireland to prevent BSE from entering the country. All cattle imports dating back to 1982 were traced and catalogued, including the Red Deer cow.
The case argues some of the animals within the group were likely infected with BSE and entered the cattle feed system.
The government did not introduce a feed ban prohibiting rendered ruminant material from entering cattle supplements until 1997.
Representatives from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency did not return calls in time for The Western Producer deadline.
