WHISTLER, B.C. – Josh Brandon, a Vancouver-based Greenpeace activist against genetically modified foods, thought he had a political promise last week that senior politicians would debate the issue.
In advance of a federal-provincial agriculture ministers’ meeting June 28-29, British Columbia minister Pat Bell wrote him a letter promising to raise the issue of GM labelling during the meeting.
June 27, Brandon led 20 Greenpeace activists in a demonstration outside the conference hall to reinforce their point. Security took the ministers out the back door to avoid direct contact.
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But Bell said in an interview that while he doesn’t intend to duck the GM issue, he was not able to get it on the meeting agenda.
“It’s an issue we know is on people’s minds and I think it is worth having discussions at the federal-provincial level,” he said.
In 2006 at the federal-provincial meeting in Newfoundland, the Quebec minister raised the issue and he was asked to prepare some background information for a future discussion but that also did not make the 2007 agenda.
However, ministers agreed it will be discussed when they meet next in September. Quebec minister Laurent Lessard will lead the discussion.
“For us, it is important that consumers be given that information,” André Ménard, press secretary to the Quebec minister, said June 29. “But we cannot do it without other jurisdictions because it would be a cost for our industry.”
Brandon said he was disappointed but not surprised he did not get to speak to ministers, although he thought they would at least discuss the issue in their private meetings.
“The main intention was to let them know we were there and I’m sure that message got through since they were kept away from us,” he said June 28.
“There is progress to be made and minister Bell knows that 79 percent of British Columbians say consistently in polls they want to see labelling. That can’t help but be noticed by a politician.”
Greenpeace demonstrators were promoting the results of a recent French report by the Criigen research institute that detailed tests on laboratory rats that allegedly showed those fed Monsanto’s genetically engineered corn suffered damage to liver and kidneys.
“The ministers promised last year to hold talks on GE labelling,” Brandon said in a statement issued at the protest. “We are here to hold them to that promise so that Canadians can know what they are eating just as citizens do in 40 countries worldwide where labels on food with GE ingredients are legally required.”
A private member’s bill recently was tabled in Parliament by B.C. New Democrat Alex Atamanenko that would require mandatory labelling of any food products containing traces of GM material, but it is unlikely to come to a vote and might not win favour with a majority of MPs.
The food industry and many farm organizations including the Canadian Federation of Agriculture support voluntary rather than mandatory labels. Opinion polls consistently show a large majority of Canadians say they would prefer to know if their food contains GM material.
