To the Editor:
Once again, Canadians are digging into their freezers and throwing out meat, this time due to a possible E. coli contamination affecting meat sold in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia.
“New Democrats believe Canadians deserve better – food safety needs to be a priority for this government,” said NDP Health Critic Libby Davies (Vancouver East). “Recalls like this undermine confidence in our food supply and put Canadians at risk.”
Since 2011, we’ve seen hundreds of positions cut from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and spending on the Agency cut by tens of millions. Due to privatization and cuts, inspectors now look at paperwork instead of food.
“We need to ask – why are the Conservatives hell-bent on leading us down this path? They’ve been starving the CFIA and making it ineffective – they now focus more on recalls than on the prevention measures that would stop problems before they turn into food recalls,” said NDP Agriculture Critic Malcolm Allen (Welland)
New Democrats are calling for an immediate independent audit of CFIA resources, addressing the adequacy of staffing levels and inspection processes.
Robin Steudel, Press Secretary, Federal New Democrat Party
