Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2009-05-27 19:10:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Hon. Carolyn Bennett",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"1503151\" data-originallang=\"en\">I am sorry, Mr. Speaker.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503152\" data-originallang=\"en\">The safety of the Canadian people must be given the highest consideration in our decision-making process. Unfortunately, the idea that a looming election or possible election interfered with straightforward communications with the people of Canada raises very serious questions in terms of what the public deserved and needed to know at that time.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503153\" data-originallang=\"en\">We need much greater coordination between our food safety bodies. It was very concerning to us today in the subcommittee on food safety to realize that Ontario has come forward with only one report at this time. Canada has three separate reports: one from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, one from the Public Health Agency of Canada, and one from Health Canada. The reports themselves conflict with one another. Now we have an inquiry set up by the <a data-HoCid=\"78738\" href=\"/politicians/stephen-harper/\" title=\"Stephen Harper\">Prime Minister</a> that reports directly to the minister who seems to have been implicated in this shoddy response.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503154\" data-originallang=\"en\">President Obama has tasked his secretaries of health and agriculture with reviewing every federal law that has to do with food safety. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503155\" data-originallang=\"en\">In a time when such comprehensive efforts are being undertaken across the border, what is preventing us from taking an extensive look at our own food safety framework? Since we import a great deal of foodstuffs from the United States, we also must put more effort into the harmonization of regulations. Working together with American food safety officials can only make it stronger.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503156\" data-originallang=\"en\">The questions that have been raised already are very concerning to those on the subcommittee. We have only begun our important work and already it seems that the government of the day is interfering.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503157\" data-originallang=\"en\">We had asked that there be at least six hours, twice a week, from April 20 until this time. I am sorry to report to the House that out of a possible 54 hours that the committee should have met, we have only met 27 times. Extraordinarily important ministers like Minister Clement, Minister Aglukkaq have not appeared--</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"1503151\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je m'excuse, monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503152\" data-originallang=\"en\">La s\u00e9curit\u00e9 des Canadiens doit \u00eatre un facteur pr\u00e9pond\u00e9rant dans notre processus d\u00e9cisionnel. Malheureusement, l'id\u00e9e que des \u00e9lections possibles aient nui aux communications avec les Canadiens soul\u00e8ve de graves questions quant \u00e0 ce que le public m\u00e9ritait de savoir et aurait d\u00fb savoir \u00e0 ce moment-l\u00e0.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503153\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous avons besoin d'une bien meilleure coordination entre nos organismes responsables de la salubrit\u00e9 des aliments. Nous avons \u00e9t\u00e9 constern\u00e9s d'apprendre aujourd'hui, au Sous-comit\u00e9 sur la salubrit\u00e9 des aliments, que l'Ontario n'a pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 qu'un seul rapport jusqu'\u00e0 maintenant. Le Canada a trois rapports distincts: un de l'Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments, un de l'Agence de la sant\u00e9 publique du Canada et un de Sant\u00e9 Canada. Les rapports eux-m\u00eames se contredisent. Et nous avons maintenant une enqu\u00eate qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 mise sur pied par le <a data-HoCid=\"78738\" href=\"/politicians/stephen-harper/\" title=\"Stephen Harper\">premier ministre</a> et qui rel\u00e8ve directement du ministre qui semble avoir \u00e9t\u00e9 impliqu\u00e9 dans cette r\u00e9action inad\u00e9quate \u00e0 la crise. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503154\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le pr\u00e9sident Obama a confi\u00e9 \u00e0 ses secr\u00e9taires \u00e0 la Sant\u00e9 et \u00e0 l'Agriculture la t\u00e2che d'examiner chaque loi f\u00e9d\u00e9rale ayant \u00e0 voir avec la salubrit\u00e9 des aliments.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503155\" data-originallang=\"en\">\u00c0 un moment o\u00f9 de tels efforts sont d\u00e9ploy\u00e9s de l'autre c\u00f4t\u00e9 de la fronti\u00e8re, qu'est-ce qui nous emp\u00eache de proc\u00e9der nous-m\u00eames \u00e0 un examen minutieux de notre propre cadre en mati\u00e8re de salubrit\u00e9 des aliments? Comme nous importons beaucoup de denr\u00e9es alimentaires des \u00c9tats-Unis, nous devons \u00e9galement intensifier nos efforts pour harmoniser la r\u00e9glementation. La collaboration avec les autorit\u00e9s am\u00e9ricaines responsables de la salubrit\u00e9 des aliments ne peut que renforcer notre position. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503156\" data-originallang=\"en\">Les questions qui ont d\u00e9j\u00e0 \u00e9t\u00e9 soulev\u00e9es sont tr\u00e8s pr\u00e9occupantes pour les membres du sous-comit\u00e9. Nous venons tout juste de commencer notre important travail et, d\u00e9j\u00e0, on dirait que le gouvernement actuel fait de l'ing\u00e9rence. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1503157\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous avions demand\u00e9 qu'il y ait au moins six heures de s\u00e9ance, deux fois par semaine, \u00e0 compter du 20 avril jusqu'\u00e0 maintenant. Je suis d\u00e9sol\u00e9e de dire \u00e0 la Chambre que le comit\u00e9 n'a si\u00e9g\u00e9 que 27 heures sur un total possible de 54 heures. Des ministres extr\u00eamement importants comme le ministre Cl\u00e9ment et la ministre Aglukkaq n'ont pas t\u00e9moign\u00e9...</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2009/5/27/carolyn-bennett-2/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/carolyn-bennett/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/2631/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "2786277",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Adjournment Proceedings",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "h3": {
        "en": "Health",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2009/5/27/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2009%2F5%2F27%2F"
    }
}