Media Release August 27, 2008
MARGAREE – The Green Party is sounding alarm bells over the recent outbreak of Listeriosis, saying the recent deaths due to the Listeria bacteria should be a sufficient warming for Health Minister Tony Clement and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz to review the Canadian food safety regulations.
“In 1996, the Liberal government moved food safety out of Health Canada’s mandate,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “Food safety was handed over to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) while the Agency was also made responsible for promoting Agri-Foods. The end result is that safety regulations are now designed for a global food system, not a more sustainable local food system. The global food system is rife with dangers due the long distances food travels, the impossibility of controlling food regulations and practices around the world and the long shelf life that is expected of food these days."
Green Party Industry and Business critic Huguette Allen, candidate in Okanagan—Shuswap, has actively campaigned against new meat inspection regulations in British Columbia that harm smaller and family farms.
"Many regions of Canada have excellent local food economies but are hindered because small family farms are expected to adhere to the same safety standards as food that is transported all over the globe. Yet we know from common sense as well as experience, that no matter what standards we impose of global foods, safety issues persist. When outbreaks occur, repercussions are inevitable."
Ms. Allen pointed out that the Harper government says Canadian food distribution system is not 100 percent safe and that "food poisoning and bacteria outbreaks will occur from time to time”, yet the government makes it illegal for Canadian family farms in most provinces to sell poultry and meat raised and processed on the farm.
Consistent with its privatization agenda, the Harper government has announced that as of October 2008, it will no longer inspect federally inspected slaughterhouses (sic) but will require these companies report on themselves.
“The Green Party opposes this move and urges the government to review the Canadian food system and safety regulations in their entirety and to put food safety back into the hands of Health Canada,” said Ms. Allen. “The CFIA should be given the responsibility for local food economies rather than Agri-food/global food economies.”
Contact: Camille Labchuk Press Secretary
613-562-4916 ext. 244
clabchuk@greenparty.ca
2 comments:
Right on, Ms. Allen. One only needs to look at the issues related to Chinese food products from last year to know that if you globalize food we will all suffer. Instead let's strengthen our own agriculture and aim for sustainability locally, provincially and federally, in that order.
Next election tell the neo-cons what you think of them tinkering with your food.
The Greens are the party of today and we should consider them very seriously at the next election
Locally they have chosen a very intelligent and practical candidate
I was very impressed when I met Huguette Allen
A breath of fresh air on the local scene
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