The federal auditor general says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has improved the safety of Canada’s food system during the past five years, despite what its critics say.
Denis Desautels is retiring after 10 years as the federal auditor general and he has issued several reports critical of the CFIA performance, staffing resources and goal setting.
But he used his last appearance before the House of Commons agriculture committee March 20 to sing the praises of the agency, even though his last report to Parliament continued criticism of the agency’s practices and staffing plans.
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“We feel the system of food inspection on the whole has improved,” he said when asked if the creation of the CFIA by combining food inspection services from several departments has worked.
“We very much indicated that there were efficiencies to be gained by merging these activities,” Desautels told Liberal MP Paul Steckle.
” We believe the quality of food inspection has gone up.”
In recent months, the CFIA has come under attack from health activists as a creature of food companies or the government, making food safety decisions based on Canadian political goals or corporate interests.
Desautels said the CFIA is doing a good job. He also said the agency needs better staffing, recruitment and retention policies to keep up with the growing demand for inspection services.
Production, processing increasing
CFIA president Ron Doering told the committee he agreed. The expansion of trade and food processors has put a strain on agency staff resources, he said.
The government has increased staff by 11 percent in the past two years, adding hundreds of new jobs to the front line inspector ranks after years of cuts.
Still, the agency needs more money and more staff to deal with a growing food production, processing and import sector.
The economic consulting company KPMG is being paid $1 million to assess staffing needs in the agency. It will report in April or May.
“I certainly think they will find that we need more resources and personnel,” Doering said in an interview.
“We will use the report to argue for more people on the ground. Food safety is a growing issue. We need the resources to make sure people are comfortable with what we are doing.”
