Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2012-09-24 18:30:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Ms. Judy Foote (Random\u2014Burin\u2014St. George's, Lib.)",
        "fr": "Mme Judy Foote (Random\u2014Burin\u2014St. George's, Lib.)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"2979341\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to an issue that I raised in question period about the cuts to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at the terminals for Marine Atlantic in Port aux Basques and Argentia. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979342\" data-originallang=\"en\">As a result of that, we are putting in danger potato crops in P.E.I. and New Brunswick. The soil is infested with what is called potato wart and once that soil is transported from Newfoundland and Labrador to other parts of the country, there is a risk that it will infect crops. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979343\" data-originallang=\"en\">Doing away with the jobs that are charged with the responsibility of washing down all of the vehicles before they leave Newfoundland and Labrador is putting at risk those crops because if they are not washed, then that danger is very real.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979344\" data-originallang=\"en\">The government has said that even though it is cutting those jobs, the vehicles still are going to have to be washed. The problem is that no one knows who is going to do that, where it is going to take place, and it is a serious issue. We raise this issue again to point out how serious it is and to see whether we can get the government to reconsider the position it has taken. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979345\" data-originallang=\"en\">I am told there was absolutely no consultation whatsoever on this. Those of us who are familiar with where the ferry is in Port aux Basques, in particular, know it is in a very secure area. Once vehicles go into Marine Atlantic's ferry terminal, they cannot come back out because they are in a secure area in order to board Marine Atlantic's vessel.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979346\" data-originallang=\"en\">The problem is that at least right now when the vehicles go into the terminal area where they are washed down, then we know they are on site and will not go anywhere else where there would be contaminated soil. If, as suggested, this can take place outside of the terminal area, that poses a real problem. Again, if the vehicles are washed off the ferry terminal premises, there is a chance that they will pick up contaminated soil from where they have been washed to where they have to go to the ferry terminal. It is a serious issue and we do not think enough thought has gone into this. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979347\" data-originallang=\"en\">These jobs are supposed to be gone as of April 1. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is supposed to stop providing cleaning of the vehicles April 1, 2014. Once that happens, there has to be something in place. The government has said that this could be turned over to the private sector, that there is an opportunity for it. However, no one has stepped up to the plate at this point and we are seriously concerned that if no one does, then the government is not acknowledging the consequences of this. While it says that the vehicles will still have to be washed, it has not said how that will happen. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979348\" data-originallang=\"en\">That is a serious problem for us. We are trying to find some way of ensuring that the vehicles continue to be washed, but at this point in time no one has stepped up to the plate. The vehicles need to be washed. How will that happen if the government does not continue to do it?</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"2979341\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, j'aimerais aborder un sujet que j'ai d\u00e9j\u00e0 soulev\u00e9 pendant la p\u00e9riode des questions et qui concerne les compressions visant les stations d'inspection de l'Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments, situ\u00e9es aux terminus de Marine Atlantique \u00e0 Port aux Basques et \u00e0 Argentia.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979342\" data-originallang=\"en\">Ces compressions mettent en p\u00e9ril les cultures de pommes de terre de l'\u00cele-du-Prince-\u00c9douard et du Nouveau-Brunswick. Le sol de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador est contamin\u00e9e par la galle verruqueuse et, si ce sol est transport\u00e9 ailleurs au pays, les cultures des autres provinces risquent d'\u00eatre infect\u00e9es. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979343\" data-originallang=\"en\">En \u00e9liminant les emplois des personnes charg\u00e9es de nettoyer tous les v\u00e9hicules avant qu'ils quittent Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, le gouvernement compromet les cultures des autres provinces parce que si les v\u00e9hicules ne sont pas lav\u00e9s, le risque est r\u00e9el.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979344\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le gouvernement affirme que, m\u00eame s'il supprime ces emplois, les v\u00e9hicules devront toujours \u00eatre lav\u00e9s. Ce qui est probl\u00e9matique, c'est que personne ne sait qui va le faire ni o\u00f9 cela va se faire. Il s'agit d'un probl\u00e8me tr\u00e8s grave. Nous soulevons de nouveau cette question pour insister sur son importance et voir si nous pouvons inciter le gouvernement \u00e0 reconsid\u00e9rer sa d\u00e9cision. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979345\" data-originallang=\"en\">On m'a dit qu'il n'y avait eu absolument aucune consultation \u00e0 ce sujet. Si vous connaissez comme moi le traversier de Port aux Basques, par exemple, vous savez qu'il se trouve dans un endroit tr\u00e8s s\u00e9curitaire. Une fois qu'un v\u00e9hicule se trouve dans la gare maritime de Marine Atlantique, il ne peut pas en ressortir; il demeure dans cette zone s\u00e9curitaire jusqu'\u00e0 son embarquement sur le traversier.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979346\" data-originallang=\"en\">Donc, en ce moment, quand un v\u00e9hicule se rend dans la zone de la gare maritime o\u00f9 il est nettoy\u00e9, on sait qu'il restera dans la gare et n'ira \u00e0 aucun endroit o\u00f9 le sol pourrait \u00eatre contamin\u00e9. Par contre, si le nettoyage a lieu \u00e0 l'ext\u00e9rieur de la gare, tel que propos\u00e9, cela posera r\u00e9ellement un probl\u00e8me: si on nettoie les v\u00e9hicules \u00e0 l'ext\u00e9rieur des installations de la gare, ils risquent de ramasser du sol contamin\u00e9 entre l'endroit du nettoyage et la gare. C'est un probl\u00e8me s\u00e9rieux qui, selon nous, n'a pas \u00e9t\u00e9 examin\u00e9 avec un soin suffisant.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979347\" data-originallang=\"en\">Ces emplois sont cens\u00e9s dispara\u00eetre d'ici le 1<sup>er</sup> avril. L'Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments est cens\u00e9e arr\u00eater de s'occuper du nettoyage des v\u00e9hicules d'ici le 1<sup>er</sup> avril 2014. Quand cela se produira, il faudra avoir d'autres mesures en place. D'apr\u00e8s le gouvernement, cette t\u00e2che pourrait \u00eatre confi\u00e9e au secteur priv\u00e9, ce serait une possibilit\u00e9. Mais personne n'a r\u00e9pondu \u00e0 l'appel jusqu'\u00e0 maintenant et nous craignons fortement que, si personne ne le fait, le gouvernement reste indiff\u00e9rent aux cons\u00e9quences de ce changement. Le gouvernement a dit que les v\u00e9hicules devraient encore \u00eatre nettoy\u00e9s, mais sans pr\u00e9ciser comment cela se ferait, au juste.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2979348\" data-originallang=\"en\">C'est un probl\u00e8me grave pour nous. Nous tentons de trouver une solution pour que le nettoyage des v\u00e9hicules continue mais, pour le moment, personne n'a r\u00e9pondu \u00e0 l'appel. Les v\u00e9hicules doivent \u00eatre nettoy\u00e9s. Comment ce nettoyage pourra-t-il continuer si le gouvernement cesse de s'en occuper?</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2012/9/24/judy-foote-1/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/judy-foote/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/1040/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "7685056",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Adjournment Proceedings",
        "fr": "Motion d'ajournement"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Agriculture and Agri-Food",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2012/9/24/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2012%2F9%2F24%2F"
    }
}