A motion is pending at the House of Commons agriculture committee to call Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials before MPs to grill them on the safety of food imports.
However, the sponsor of the motion said the CFIA appearance likely won’t happen for several months, if then.
“With the committee agenda as it is and the delays we are facing, I don’t think we will be able to get to my motion before late November after the Remembrance Day break at the earliest,” Liberal agriculture critic Wayne Easter said.
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“I think this is a very important issue but there are lots of issues before the committee and at this point, we’re just wasting time.”
The all-party committee is bogged down in an acrimonious debate over its agenda for the next several months.
MPs are wrangling over how much time to spend on hearings into a private member’s bill that would require a market impact analysis before new genetically modified varieties are approved. They are also trying to determine when a report on young farmer issues will be completed.
As well, there is pressure to hold hearings on how well existing programs are working for livestock producers and prairie grain producers affected by this year’s spring flooding and harvest rain.
Easter has prepared a motion that would have the CFIA’s chief auditor appear before the committee to testify about a recent audit that criticized CFIA oversight of food imports.
He then wants agriculture minister Gerry Ritz to appear to be grilled about the alleged gaps in the CFIA system.
“This is a very important issue and it’s one that farmers are very concerned about, as well as consumers,” Easter said.
“If imports don’t have to meet the same standards Canadian-produced food has to meet, we have a problem.”
He said the issue could also be raised at the health committee, “but I think the best place to air this issue is agriculture.”
