Hon. Francis William Mahovlich:

Honourable senators, a few weeks ago I met with members of the Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers and I was surprised to learn of a few pressing issues, important both to the agri-retail industry and to Canadian safety and security as a whole that are seemingly ignored by the federal government.

Many farmers across the country use various fertilizers and pesticides that, in the wrong hands, can be used for sinister purposes such as terrorist acts or drug production. Various government and industry bodies have put forth security requirements on a product-by-product basis, which retailers say are difficult to implement since they do not fall under a single protocol and may result in regulatory conflict, redundancy and unnecessary expense. Further, these problems may potentially result in increasing costs for farmers, which in turn will most certainly increase the prices Canadians must pay at the grocery store.

As a solution to these concerns, the agri-retail industry has created a security plan that is ready to implement, and has called on the federal government to share the cost of ensuring the safety of Canadians. Without a doubt, there is precedent for the government to pay the cost of security for Canadians. The agri-retail industry is not asking for the government to pay all costs but rather to share them, just as our neighbours in the United States have done when faced with these same problems.

One would think that, of course, the federal government's top priority is keeping Canadians safe. I have learned, however, that no cabinet minister in the federal government has been willing to meet with the Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers to discuss these concerns.

When a meeting has been requested, the agri-retailers are commonly referred to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food under whose jurisdiction this falls. The agriculture minister, however, has stated that his previous commitments prevented him from meeting with the CAAR. I think there is something wrong when a minister in the Canadian government is too busy to address issues that affect the safety of Canadians.

When will the federal government take these concerns seriously and work with the agri-retail industry to protect the safety of Canadians and Americans?


Please click here to read the full text of the Senator's question

Recent Statements from Liberal Senators