Unfortunately, I have no enthusiasm whatsoever, but great trepidation and concern that what appears to be innocent—incorporation by reference—will do serious damage to the scrutiny of regulations in this place.

There is a reason we do not say a law is passed and then incorporate by reference large swathes of changes that do not allow the average citizen to stay on top of what is happening to laws that affect them. On the contrary, this kind of change will undermine the ability of Canadian business to know what regulations apply to them and when they have been changed.

Yes, it is true that there are systems of government that are far more efficient than democracy, but the rule of law matters in democracies, and as benign as this bill sounds, it is a dangerous move.

I cannot support Bill S-12.

Dan Albas: Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member’s previous support of my changes to the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act.

One of the challenges we have is there is a not very well understood point that the House, Parliament, has sovereignty over what treaties it becomes part of to what standards are chosen.

As I said to the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley, we have the choice, as legislators, to choose static or dynamic, depending upon what is in our best interest.

I would ask the member to keep an open mind and to visit the scrutiny of regulations committee to listen in. That committee does a very noble service by ensuring that when those statutes are translated into regulations, parliamentarians continue to scrutinize to ensure that not only are the regulations bona fide as per the statute, but that they are not unreasonably burdensome.

I would encourage the member to look at Bill S-12 as being more tools in the toolbox that would allow legislators like ourselves to decide what is in our national interest.

Bill S-12 is in our national interest based on those points.

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Elizabeth May: Mr. Speaker, on its face, the issue of consolidation of facilities may seem to be a way of saving money. However, in reading the budget and listening to the debate, I cannot figure out how it is going to save money.

I ask the hon. member for Medicine Hat this. If we take a quarantine facility, with its scientists, virologists and the expertise that has existed there for decades and we move that function to Summerland, would the 1,000 virus-free trees that have been developed there for studies, for fruit and vineyards, and that is a part of the intellectual capacity and scientific ground that is available there, also move? Is there new money going to the Summerland facility? These viruses must be studied and quarantined and must be done at a world-class level.

LaVar Payne: Mr. Speaker, the member from the opposition is an independent individual. We are relocating a number of scientific areas into greater areas of expertise and more modern facilities to ensure that all of the services we provide through inspection agencies such as Agriculture and Agri-food Canada are the best in the world.

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Food and food safety are top-of-mind issues for Canadians. The deaths caused by listeriosis contamination at the Maple Leaf plant remains a serious warning of the perils of losing food inspectors.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has a credibility problem. CFIA has an inherent conflict of interest, mandated to regulate for food safety, while at the same time mandated to promote Canadian food products in Canada and abroad. This, plus a lack of preparedness, accounts for the delay on blowing the whistle on the listeriosis outbreak due to Maple Leaf luncheon meats in 2008, in which 22 people died. The report on the outbreak from independent investigator Sheila Weatherill (former head of Edmonton’s health system) noted that increasingly large, factory food preparation increased risks to health and safety.

However, the recommendations focused only on more inspections and more chemical cleaning instead of reforming the food system to encourage smaller, more traceable operations.

Just as Canadians were reeling from the listeriosis outbreak, a memo from inside CFIA was leaked indicating the Harper government’s plans to cut the number of inspectors. The inspector, who found the Treasury Board memo outlining the planned cuts (on a shared server at CFIA) and sent it to his union, was fired.

Naturally, one would expect the minister to have a high degree of sensitivity around food safety issues. The budgetary changes in the 2012 budget are a bit hard to track. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is being cut by $56.1-million over the next three years. Elsewhere in the budget, there is a new $51.2-million for “strengthening food safety.” These funds are described as being required to meet the commitments to the recommendations of the Weatherill Report. The funds are to be distributed between CFIA, the Public Health Agency and Health Canada.

Some food labelling information is to be removed from labels and placed on websites. It is not certain how this represents a savings.

While there are many issues about how CFIA will protect human health going forward, there are many more issues related to plant health. This is a core area of federal responsibility for agriculture. Science is required to identify threats to plant health. Plant health is, in turn, essential for the health of the industry. The announced closure of the Plant Science Centre on the Saanich Peninsula is a case in point. (I admit to having a very strong personal interest in pleading for the centre to remain open as it is in my riding).

The research there is key to maintaining the growth of the wine industry, as well as other fruit tree-based sectors. Having the research conducted on Vancouver Island has been a traditional safety feature for the quarantine of plant viruses from imports, as well as during testing for elimination of viruses in other plants. What may have looked like a simple bureaucratic fix (“let’s close the centre on the Saanich Peninsula and consolidate operations in Summerland B.C.”) was made without consultation with the scientists working in either location. It really doesn’t make sense to move plant quarantine facilities from Vancouver Island to the heart of B.C. wine country.

Health and safety of humans and plants are part of the core mandate of the CFIA. Let’s not risk the health of either through too rapid cuts and hasty decisions.

Elizabeth May is the Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands and Leader of the Green Party of Canada.
Originally published in The Hill Times.

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The research centre maintains a collection which includes rare plants that require protection such as fruit trees and English hollies. Staff also studies plant health, specifically viruses and pests of  grapevines, tree fruits and other crops. “Tree fruit and grapevine health are an important component of our wine industry in particular.  The concern  is that the testing of viruses and imported plants at this facility had the  benefit of the Salish Sea preventing any accidentally released virus  from reaching the mainland.”

“Taking a scientific project and simply transplanting it elsewhere often doesn’t work well.  The research scientists should have been consulted to ensure that their projects can continue successfully,” said May.

“Is this another example of the Harper Conservatives’ disdain for science?,” asked May. “This decision was reached without any consultation with the industry or scientific communities. It is arbitrary and wrong. The top-down orders from Ottawa to close the centre come without any plan for the protection of the knowledge base, the research or for protection of the large area of land on which the centre is based.”

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Ms. May made the following comments in the House of Commons on Thursday:

Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): “Madam Speaker, I rise with pleasure to assure the hon. member for Okanagan—Coquihalla of the complete support of the Green Party caucus for this long-overdue reform. We also, in Saanich—Gulf Islands, have numerous wineries. I could name them but it would seem to be pandering to my constituents who run the Muse Winery, the Garry Oaks Winery, the Church and State Winery, Salt Spring Winery. I could go on.

I commend the member for bringing this forward. I will do everything in my power to help it pass and I hope all members in this House will ensure this legislation passes.”

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Canadians are a law-abiding people who like to follow the law and many share a passion for our great Canadian wines. This passion for wine, along with the hard work of many Canadian families, have resulted in wineries now being located in every province across our great nation.

This bill proposes an amendment to the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act. This amendment would create a personal exemption from the act. This personal exemption would allow individuals to either directly import, send, take, or transport or cause to be imported, sent, taken or transported wine only for personal consumption. This is not for resale or for other commercial use in quantities as permitted by the province in question.

Seconded by Elizabeth May: n/a.

Click here for the entire document

Interventions in the House of Commons: October 20, 2011

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I commend the member for bringing this bill forward. I will do everything in my power to help it pass. I hope all members in this House will ensure this legislation passes.

Mr. Dan Albas: Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague’s support.

Many of the winery owners I have spoken to have suggested a sales volume increase in their business of at least 5% and close to 10% due to this change. In the case of every winery owner I have spoken with, increased revenues will be directly and immediately reinvested into the local economy, something I am sure the member’s riding would be supportive of due to her riding’s involvement in the industry.

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