Federal Liberals Condemn Harper’s Plan To Cut Food Inspectors

By Frank Valeriote –  MP for Guelph,  Ontario. Liberal Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food 

Special to Niagara At Large

Recently, in light of drastic cuts facing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, I and many other Members of Parliament have received a flood of letters to

Guelph Liberal MP Frank Valeriote

 Michael McCain, President of Maple Leaf Foods concerning the safety of our food. I share the frustration these letter writers are expressing regarding this shocking step backward by the Conservative government on food safety.

The Liberal Party has condemned plans by the Conservative government to cut hundreds of employees from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and reduce the agency’s funding by millions.

Canadians have every reason to be upset and worried.

In 2008, twenty-three people died and hundreds more became seriously ill, from a listeria contamination. The resulting investigation – the Weatherill Report outlined 57 recommendations including enhanced communications between food processors and the CFIA, increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the CFIA through technological modernization, increase human resources to match workload requirements and augment training.

A Canadian food inspection agent at work reviewing lables on organic products.

Two and a half years later, the Minister of Agriculture has repeatedly patted himself on the back about accepting the recommendations of the Weatherill Report and appointing 170 new inspectors. Meanwhile, now the Conservatives rolled back on safety with cuts to staff and funding.

The CFIA’s Report on Plans and Priorities 2011-12 outlines that it will cut 224 full-time employment positions as well as nearly $20-million dollars from the food safety program – arguing the resources allocated in the wake of the Listeriosis crisis have expired.

There is something really concerning about a government that thinks food safety is only a temporary responsibility. Protecting the Canadian food supply and keeping Canadians safe from food-borne illnesses requires constant vigilance and really cannot be ascribed a cost. The listeriosis crisis was a wake-up call and no passage of time makes it more acceptable for the Conservative government to risk the health of Canadians by making these reckless cuts.

 It is worth remembering that John Baird, Tony Clement and Jim Flaherty – all trusted ministers in Mr. Harper’s cabinet – presided over the cuts to Ontario public health during the Harris government that resulted in the Walkerton Tragedy.

Moreover, in 2010, US regulators warned Canadian officials that the number of inspectors and inspections of food processing plants had to increase if Canadian food exports to the US were to continue. These CFIA cuts, on top of the additional 10% cut stemming from the Conservative’s strategic and operating review will send the wrong message to a key trading partner, as well as domestic consumers, about the safety of Canadian food products.

Minister Gerry Ritz must act responsibly and inform Canadians how many inspectors will be cut, what reductions will occur to the frequency of inspection of food processing facilities and what plans are in place for a future, food-borne crisis.

To me, it is a matter of priorities.  I do not see the sense of unnecessarily spending tens of billions on mega-prisons and untendered plane purchases while cutting $20 million and placing the safety of Canadian lives at risk.

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