2008 News Releases

Winnipeg – If elected, a federal Conservative government plans to stop delivering provincial meat inspection programs in Manitoba leaving local consumers exposed to the risk of unsafe meat.

The plan is revealed in a secret Treasury Board of Canada decision record, dated May 6, 2008, documenting the acceptance of a proposal concerning "Provincial Meat Slaughter Establishments (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia)" which calls for the "elimination of federal delivery of provincial
meat inspection programs."

"Meat produced in provincially registered facilities in Manitoba would not be inspected by anyone under this plan," says Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union - Public Service Alliance of Canada, which has launched www.foodsafetyfirst.ca, a tool for voters to email their local candidates during the federal election to urge them to make a commitment to food safety. The campaign is being organized jointly with the Professional Institute of the Public Service Canada.

The Treasury Board decision record says that following approval of a detailed implementation plan, "including risk mitigation and communications strategies," the cuts will come into force.

In Manitoba, the federal government delivers provincial meat inspection programs ensuring provincially registered slaughter facilities meet sanitation and other safety regulations. There are more than 30 provincially-registered meat establishments in Manitoba that produce everything from beef to bison, ostrich to turkey and whose products cannot be shipped outside the province.

"As we've seen during recent weeks, the federal government should be increasing food inspection, not cutting it," Kingston says. The government of Stephen Harper has steadily cut funding for food safety programs and shifted responsibility for safety assurance to the food companies themselves.

According to current Treasury Board of Canada forecasts, funding for food safety programs will have declined by almost 30% from $359 million in 2006/07 to $254 million in 2010/11 under Mr. Harper's watch.

Meanwhile, the government plans to expand industry self-policing of safety. The same Treasury Board record also reveals plans to: "shift from full-time Canadian Food Inspection Agency meat inspection presence to an
oversight role, allowing industry to implement food safety control programs and to manage key risks."

The Food Safety First campaign is urging federal candidates to endorse a
four-point commitment to food safety:

      • Hire 1000 additional inspectors and veterinarians to improve industry compliance with safety regulations.
      • Place a moratorium on industry self-policing.
      • Remove obstacles that prevent CFIA inspectors and vets from taking immediate action when they encounter potential public health risks in the plants they inspect.
      • Restore the system of public audit reports which were cancelled under pressure from the meat industry.

"Voters can visit www.foodsafetyfirst.ca to send a message asking their candidates to make a commitment to food safety. When the candidates are asking voters for their support, there's no better time to ask the candidates to make this commitment," Kingston said.

The Agriculture Union - PSAC represents federal food inspectors and its President Bob Kingston is an Inspection Supervisor on leave from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Before going on a leave of absence to serve as an elected union officer, Kingston spent 25 years as a CFIA and Agriculture Canada inspector, including 15 years as a multi-commodity supervisor, a senior level inspector position.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 12, 2008

Tainted food sparks national safety campaign

Toronto – Federal candidates across the country are being asked to make a Commitment to Food Safety as part of a national campaign launched in Toronto this morning.

“The outbreaks of listeriosis due to tainted food products have shaken the country's confidence in our food protection system. The system is broken and needs fixing,” says Patricia Ducharme, Executive Vice-President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

The campaign features a website – www.foodsafetyfirst.ca – which allows visitors to send a message to ask local candidates to take make a Commitment to Food Safety, a four-point action plan to fix the system. Radio, print and online ads will be used during the federal election to spread the word about the campaign, as will events across the country.

“Our unions are launching this campaign now, because of the urgent need for action and political commitment on the issue of food safety before more Canadians lives are put at risk,” says Michèle Demers, President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.

The government of Stephen Harper has steadily cut funding for food safety programs and shifted responsibility for safety assurance to the food companies themselves.

According to current Treasury Board of Canada forecasts, funding for food safety programs will have declined by almost 30 per cent from $359-million in 2006/07 to $254-million in 2010-2011 under Mr. Harper's watch.
Meanwhile, the government plans to expand industry self-policing of safety. A secret government document brought to light by a CFIA employee who was subsequently fired reveals plans to “shift from full-time Canadian Food Inspection Agency meat inspection presence to an oversight role, allowing industry to implement food safety control programs and to manage key risks” and “eliminate federal delivery of provincial meat inspection programs” in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

“There are too few inspectors who spend too much time reviewing company-generated reports in a system that relies too much on the food industry to police itself when it comes to safety," says Agriculture Union President Bob Kingston, a food inspection supervisor on leave from the CFIA.

The campaign aims to drum up support among candidates and the federal parties for the following policies to improve food safety in Canada:

Hire 1,000 additional inspectors and veterinarians to improve compliance

There are almost 800 federally regulated meat processing facilities scattered across Canada, many processing thousands of animals everyday. There are also thousands of cheese, produce and other food production facilities, as well as delis and other retail outlets, all of which are potential sources for deadly food-borne bacteria. This territory is far too vast for the 1,100 fully-qualified process food inspectors and 230 meat hygiene veterinarians currently on staff. While the problem of food-borne illness is complex, one dimension of the problem is clear: our food inspectors are too few and spread too thinly.

For example, the inspector responsible for the Maple Leaf plant which was the source of tainted meat in the latest food-borne bacterial outbreak also is responsible for six other facilities. In order to ensure companies follow food safety regulations we simply need more inspectors.

Place an immediate moratorium on industry self-policing policies

Under changes introduced on March 31st this year, including at Maple Leaf Foods in Toronto, meat inspectors are now directly supervising from the plant floor only 25 per cent of the time. The rest of the time, federal meat inspectors review company-generated reports. This reality falls far short of the target for inspectors to spend half their time inspecting hands-on under the new ‘Compliance Verification System’.

Beyond meat processing, industry self-policing has been extended to poultry; monitoring the health of birds was transferred from inspectors to the private sector in the fall of 2007.

Plans the Conservative government has approved but not entirely implemented will give industry more self-policing powers when it comes to safety. The Compliance Verification System, the Poultry Rejection Program and future self-policing plans should be put on hold.

Remove obstacles preventing CFIA inspectors and veterinarians from taking immediate action

CFIA inspectors are discouraged from taking immediate action when serious health problems arise. Instead, they are strongly encouraged to give the offending company a ‘Corrective Action Request’ which states the nature of the problem and gives the company up to 60 days to address it. The theory of immediate action of the part of inspectors becomes more remote because under the ‘Compliance Verification System’ inspectors spend 75 per cent of their time at the plant reviewing company-generated reports, instead of inspecting facilities.

This approach is part and parcel of the move toward industry self-policing when it comes to safety.

Restore the system of public audit reports which were cancelled under pressure from the meat industry

For 20 years, government inspectors reported and ranked the meat processing facilities they inspected. Under pressure from an industry lobby group called the Canadian Meat Council which complained about the bad press these reports created when obtained by reporters, the federal government cancelled the practice soon after Stephen Harper took office. Canadians need to know which companies are meeting safety standards and which companies are not and the public audit system should be restored.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 28, 2008

Minister Ritz misleads Canadians

Ottawa – Assurances by Minister Ritz that Canada’s food processing industry is adequately supervised by government inspectors are misleading and dishonest, says Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC.

Processed meats sold in Canada do not require the same level of hands-on oversight by government inspectors as products for export to the US market.

“Assurances by the Minister and CFIA officials that inspectors’ daily presence and direct oversight of product sampling are required do not apply to processed meats sold in Canada. These higher standards are required for processing plants to have access to US consumers,” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC, which represents the inspectors.

There is no requirement for daily presence of inspectors in plants that do not export, so Canadians do not enjoy these more stringent standards and inspection procedures.

“Yesterday, the Minister made all kinds of sweeping claims about the safeguards that are in place when it comes to processed meats. He neglected to add that all these safeguards are not available to Canadian consumers. In terms of food safety, it would seem that Canadians are second class citizens as far as CFIA requirements are concerned,” Kingston said.

Kingston, an Inspection Supervisor on leave from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, dismissed the Minister’s assertion yesterday that inspectors spend half of their working day ‘on the floor of the plant’ as pure fiction.

“The inspector responsible for the Maple Leaf plant is responsible for a total of seven food processing and cold storage facilities, one of which requires his presence several hours a day,” Kingston said. “Inspectors cannot be ‘in place on a daily basis at federally regulated meat establishments’ as claimed yesterday by CFIA officials – there simply are not enough hours in the day,” Kingston said.

“Minister Ritz should come clean and stop misleading Canadians on such a critically important issue as food safety, especially in the tragic circumstances we are in,” Kingston said.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 14, 2008

Grain Commission funding cuts mean higher producer costs:

Safety and quality threatened

Ottawa – Conservative government plans to drastically reduce Canadian Grain Commission spending will hurt grain producers and Canada's international reputation for quality, according to three former senior officials of the federal agency and the Agriculture Union which represents employees of the CGC.

A new government spending forecast released this morning comes to light a day before Agriculture Minister Ritz is scheduled to testify on his department's spending before the Commons Agriculture Committee.

A spending forecast published by the federal government shows Grain Commission producer protection programs will be slashed by 67% while grain quality programs will be reduced by almost half and research programs will be cut by 60%.

“As Ottawa's contribution goes down, producer costs will rise,” said Albert Schatzke, a former Commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission.

The spending forecast is in line with a Conservative government legislative proposal – Bill C-39 – which would gut the Grain Commission's inspection, weighing and independent oversight that ensures producers are treated fairly.

The Canadian Grain Commission protects producers by ensuring their grain shipments are accurately weighed and graded so growers are properly paid. The Commission's independent arbitration process levels the playing field between individual producers and the powerful grain companies they must deal with when disputes arise.

“These cuts will undermine grain producers in their dealings with grain companies, which have never been more powerful. Canada's reputation for top quality grain will be hurt too. You can't protect producers and make these cuts at the same time,” said Bob Douglas.

These Commission activities would be eliminated by Bill C-39, against the unanimous advice of the all-party Commons Agriculture Committee which recently completed a study on the future of the Grain Commission.

Product safety is another important role of the Canadian Grain Commission.

Inward inspections conducted by the CGC before grain gets into the terminal elevator system identify dangerous contaminants like mercury and fungi such as ergot and fusarium -- bio hazards that are extremely dangerous to human health. Inward inspections also offer early warning alerts of the presence of glass, metal shavings, rocks and other safety hazards in grain shipments arriving at terminal elevators, as well as bug infestations. C-39 would kill inward inspection services by the Grain Commission.

“At a time when food safety is a top priority for Canadians, Bill C-39 is undermining the safety of Canadian grain products,” said Donna Welke.

“The Agriculture Union calls on the Government to withdraw this flawed legislation. Minister Ritz should also instruct the Canadian Grain Commission to, at the very least, maintain the level of service it now provides to producers,” concluded Bob Kingston, Executive Vice-President of the Agriculture Union (PSAC).

Albert Schatzke was Commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission (1997-2006); Donna Welke is the former Assistant Commissioner from Saskatchewan (1994 - 2006), Bob Douglas is the former Assistant Commissioner from Manitoba (2000 – 2006).

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 25, 2008

Campaign launched against Conservative Bill

that will cost Thunder Bay one hundred jobs

Thunder Bay - Local Canadian Grain Commission workers and their supporters are launching a campaign to stop legislation that will gut the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) and cost the Thunder Bay area one hundred jobs.

The campaign is aimed principally at local Conservative MP, Joe Comuzzi, who has been silent on the issue in spite of repeated invitations to join with others to stand up for our community.

At issue is the elimination of inspection and weighing services and regulatory oversight of grain shipments proposed in Bill C-39 which is currently before the House of Commons. If Bill C-39 becomes law, Thunder Bay will take a significant economic hit and grain producers, consumers and the grain sector as a whole will face a serious threat.

The end to “inward” inspection and weighing and the elimination of the CGC’s bonding program will put producers at a disadvantage when dealing with grain companies. Grain Commission inspection also serves to grade grains and identify and eliminate dangerous contaminants or bio hazards from the supply. Without these inspections both human health and Canada’s international reputation as a high quality producer will be at risk.

Despite repeated requests, workers whose jobs are in jeopardy have yet to meet with local Conservative Member of Parliament Joe Comuzzi. In a letter to Comuzzi on March 3rd, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) regional representative Judith Monteith – Farrell wrote, “As you know, these changes will result in the loss of 90 to 100 high paying jobs in Thunder Bay. The negative impact of this loss will ripple through our local economy with serious consequences. I am taking the unusual step of hand-delivering this letter to your constituency office out of a sense of frustration. ”

In a subsequent meeting with Mr. Comuzzi’s assistant, the workers were told that their Member of Parliament would not be available for at least another two and one half weeks.

“If the loss of one hundred jobs and a direct threat to the grains trade which represents three quarters of the total shipments through the Port of Thunder Bay doesn’t qualify for the attention of a local MP, I can’t imagine what would,” said Don Beese, President of local 30 of the Agriculture Union - PSAC.

“The Union is asking the people of Thunder Bay to join us in demanding that Mr. Comuzzi stand up to his own government’s attempt to gut the Canadian Grain Commission,” added Beese.

A campaign website launched today at grainaction.ca will direct messages from the public to Mr. Comuzzi and the Conservative Government.

Bill C-39 will also deal a major blow to the Canadian grain economy as a whole. Experts expect that if C-39 becomes law it will undermine the Canadian Wheat Board and help to shift the flow of grain away from east-west, with Thunder Bay and its port in a key role, to a north-south trade pattern.

When it introduced Bill C-39, the Conservative Government ignored the unanimous advice of an all-party House of Commons Committee which called for further analysis and study before proceeding with any changes to the Canadian Grain Commission.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 25, 2008

Community to call for action with one hundred Thunder Bay jobs on the line

Thunder Bay - Representatives of the one hundred Thunder Bay area Canadian Grain Commission employees who stand to lose their jobs if new federal legislation is enacted will be joined by political and community representatives to launch a campaign to stand up for Thunder Bay.

When: Wednesday, March 26th at 9.30 AM
Where: PSAC office, Suite 109, 1205 Amber Drive

Legislation currently before parliament Bill C-39 will cripple the Canadian Grain Commission by eliminating “inward” weighing and inspection and other services in Thunder Bay and communities across Canada.

Bill C-39 poses a triple threat to Canada’s important grain sector. Reduced services and bonding will hit grain producers hard; a dramatic reduction in grain inspection will increase the risk of contaminants or bio hazards and will undermine Canada’s international reputation as a quality producer.

The Conservative Government introduced Bill C-39 despite the unanimous advice of an all-party House of Commons Committee which called for further analysis and study before proceeding with any changes to the Canadian Grain Commission.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 12, 2008

New Grain Commission chief tells Parliament where to go!

Ottawa – Former Reform MP Elwin Hermanson who was appointed chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission only weeks ago is advocating in favour of a controversial bill that has never been endorsed by Parliament.

Hermanson authored a strongly worded opinion article in favour of amendments to the Canada Grain Act in Bill C-39 which was published in the February 7th edition of The Western Producer. Mr. Hermanson declares in his opinion article: “As chief commissioner of the CGC, I strongly support this legislation… .”

The bill would gut or kill several services and regulatory oversight activities of the Canadian Grain Commission, leaving producers newly disadvantaged in their dealings with grain companies and undermining the quality and food safety assurance programs Canada’s international reputation for excellence are built upon.

C-39 has not cleared second reading debate in the Commons and many MPs report having serious reservations about it.

“Normally, senior public servants implement legislation or policy rather than telling Parliament what the law should be,” said Bob Kingston, Executive Vice-President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC, which represents most people who work at the Commission.

Kingston added: “Mr. Hermanson has set a new low for double standards given that the Commission recently threatened employees with disciplinary action if they criticize the government over the bill he is promoting.”

On December 21st, the Canadian Grain Commission issued a memo to employees forbidding them to publicly criticize Bill C-39, the government’s proposal to cripple the Commission. The memo from Diane Shapiro, Director of Human Resources threatens Canadian Grain Commission employees with possible disciplinary action if they criticize the government.

Mr. Hermanson’s 5 year patronage appointment to head the Canadian Grain Commission is effective January 21st. Hermanson was a Reform Party MP from 1993 to 1997 and leader of the conservative Saskatchewan Party from 1998 to 2004. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has close political ties to Mr. Hermanson, serving as his campaign manager during the 1993 election and constituency assistant thereafter.

“It seems clear Mr. Hermanson has his own agenda and it may well be different than Parliament’s,” Kingston said.

The Agriculture Union – PSAC represents 9500 people who work at Agriculture Canada, the Canadian Grain Commission, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and other workplaces.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 6, 2008

Retract Grain Commission Gag Order

Ottawa – Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz should retract a gag order which threatens Canadian Grain Commission employees who speak out against his government’s legislative proposal to gut the Commission, according to the Agriculture Union – PSAC which represents the employees.

On December 21st, the Canadian Grain Commission issued a memo to employees forbidding them to publicly criticize Bill C-39, the government’s proposal to cripple the Commission.

“We hope the Minister will disassociate himself from the Commission’s intimidation and assure employees they are free to express their opinion,” said Bob Kingston, National Vice-President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC.

The memo from Diane Shapiro, Director of Human Resources threatens Canadian Grain Commission employees with possible disciplinary action if they criticize the government.

“With the government’s recent track record of firing and silencing its critics, we are concerned that our members will feel threatened in the extreme by this gag order. We urge the Minister to direct the Commission to retract this effort to silence Commission employees,” Kingston said.

The full text of the Canadian Grain Commission’s gag order follows:

Question:

As a CGC employee what can I tell my MP about my response to C-39?

Answer:

You are free to convey your views to your Member of Parliament, so long as you do not publicly criticize the Government of Canada or otherwise bring into question your ability to perform your employment duties and carry out government policy and programs in an impartial manner.

Question:

As a CGC employee can I become involved in public campaigns to amend C-39, such as letters to the editor or other letter writing campaigns?

Answer:

The Supreme Court of Canada has acknowledged that while public servants have constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression, this freedom has limits. The Supreme Court and other courts have identified that a public servant has a legal duty of loyalty to the employer, and must not engage in public criticism of the employer where that criticism could create an impression that the employee may not be able to perform their duties, and carry out government policy and programs, in an impartial manner.

For example, if you identify yourself as a CGC employee in a letter to the editor that criticizes government policy relating to the CGC, you could create a perception that your views of government policy are not impartial and that you may not be able to follow or apply government policy in an impartial manner.

We would like to remind you that inappropriate behaviour by employees on web sites, blogs, and public fora (newspapers and meetings etc.) could result in administrative and/or disciplinary action.

The Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service <http://www.psagency-agencefp.gc.ca/veo-bve/vec-cve/vec-cve_e.asp> sets out the standard of behaviour expected of CGC employees. We count on each of you to refer to these codes to assist you in making ethical decisions. We encourage you to consult your manager should you need further clarification and guidance.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 1, 2008

Withdraw Conservative bill that threatens

Canadian grain producers and valuable exports

Ottawa – The federal government should withdraw amendments to the Grain Act in Bill C-39 because it will hurt grain producers and it ignores the unanimous advice from an all-party Commons committee, according to the Agriculture Union-PSAC.

The Conservative government’s proposed legislation will gut the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC), the independent body that provides essential services to grain producers. Bill C-39 will be debated for the first time in Parliament today.

The legislation ignores the recommendation of an all–party committee by immediately and aggressively cutting the CGC’s regulatory responsibilities and services. After extensive study, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture recommended that the Commission receive increased funding to ensure that the essential services it offers to grain producers can be sustained.

“Instead of heeding the advice of politicians from all parties, the Conservative government is putting the future of farmers and of all Canadians who benefit from the grain trade at risk. This bill should be withdrawn and fixed before it is debated in Parliament,” said Bob Kingston, Executive Vice President of Agricultural Union - PSAC.

Bill C-39 will eliminate mandatory weighing and inspection by the Grain Commission which ensures that grains of different quality can be segregated, to protect higher grades from being diluted by lower quality grain. Farmers of high quality product stand to lose the premium paid by international buyers and Canada’s reputation as a producer of highest quality grain will be threatened.

Once this “quality incentive” to ship Canadian grain separate from American grain is lost, Canadian grain will be shipped overland, mixed with the lower quality American product and shipped through US ports threatening the Canadian transportation network, ports and other sectors that thrive on grain exports.

C-39 also ends the Commission’s key role in determining payments to farmers and protecting them from financial harm in the event of grain buyer bankruptcy or refusal to pay.

“This government appears to be willing to put one of our country’s most important export sectors at risk” said Patty Ducharme, Executive Vice-President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. “While we are concerned about the impact on our members who provide important services at the Canadian Grain Commission – more than 200 stand to lose their jobs, the long term damage C-39 will do to grain producers and Canada’s international reputation is a far greater threat to the future of our members and all Canadians.”

The Agriculture Union is over 9,000 members from coast-to-coast-to coast who share one common goal: to serve and protect the public interest. The Union represents most of the people who work at the Canadian Grain Commission. Our members are front-line defenders of public health, supporters of sustainable agriculture and guardians of a secure food chain.

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