Posts tagged Federal politics
Conservatives defend food safety as furor grows over CFIA audit
Sep 24th, 2010
By Sarah Schmidt, PostMedia News The Conservative government on Friday defended its record on food safety after an internal audit found imported foods are sailing across the border without proper inspections to make sure they’re safe. [More...]
Why won’t the Tories take a food company to court?
Sep 10th, 2010
By Sarah Schmidt, Postmedia News The Conservative government has played the consumer card over and over since coming to power. Some moves have been significant (drafting modern consumer product safety legislation) while others have been all about the headline (Industry Minister chastising big telcos over text message charges). And it’s not unusual to see the [...]
Immediate action on food safety needs to be taken
Apr 21st, 2010
By KIRSTY DUNCAN, CAROLYN BENNETT AND WAYNE EASTER Owen Sound Sun Times Canadians have been fed a new vocabulary by the federal government: “global synchronized economic downturn,” “recalibration,” and “listeria outbreak.” [More...]
Pasteurization makes meat safer, scientist says
Mar 18th, 2010
By Joanna Smith, Toronto Star Ridding deli meats of harmful bacteria through pasteurization and other technological advances could help protect consumers while reducing the frequency of inspections, a food scientist says. [More...]
Reality Check
Mar 17th, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 17 March, 2010 Ottawa — Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz’s appearance before the Agriculture Committee this afternoon will be an opportunity for the Minister to set the record straight on inspection of ready-to-eat meats produced for Canadian consumers. On Monday, the Minister misinformed the House of Commons. He said that plants that make [...]
Beef up number of food inspectors: Union
Mar 17th, 2010
By Bryn Weese, Toronto Sun Canadian food inspectors are working overtime to meet American food safety standards, a move their union calls “unsustainable.” [More...]
Food inspection agency hasn’t acted on safety recommendations: report
Jan 27th, 2010
By Sarah Schmidt, Canwest News Service OTTAWA — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Wednesday received a failing grade from its own meat inspectors for not acting on the “vast majority” of recommendations made six months ago to improve food safety. [More]
Food safety report sets a prudent course on inspector shortage
Jun 18th, 2009
Ottawa – The federal government should move quickly to implement recommendations concerning food inspection resources contained in a report tabled in Parliament this morning, according to the Agriculture Union – PSAC, which represents government food inspectors. Following two months of public hearings, the parliamentary food safety committee expressed concern about the inspector shortage and CFIA’s [...]
Meat safety inspection spread too thin
May 25th, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ottawa – A new staffing survey shows the critical shortage of inspectors in meat processing plants in Canada continues to make it impossible for federal inspectors to verify industry compliance with safety rules. “These numbers show an inspectorate staffed far below minimum levels. With individual inspectors being in charge of five facilities [...]
Few trust companies over food safety: Poll
May 12th, 2009
By: Sarah Schmidt, The Vancouver Province OTTAWA — Most Canadians don’t trust the food industry to ensure their products are safe and want the government to be more hands-on in policing food companies, according to national survey. The survey of 1,001 Canadians, with findings to be released today, determined that only 13.7 per cent put [...]
