Beyond Factory Farming Coalition

Family Farms Not Factory Farms

Bill C-27

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Enforcement Act - Bill C-27 was introduced into Parliament on November 26, 2004. Bill 27 went from being “mere housekeeping” when it was introduced in November 2004, to “too hot to handle” a year later. The bill was expected to go to debate at Second Reading in Parliament during the fall sitting, but it did not make it to the floor of the House before the government fell in a non-confidence vote on November 28. This is the second time a bill to enhance the CFIA’s powers has died on the order paper. Bill C-80, the Canada Food Safety and Inspection Act, was abandoned in 1999 after strong opposition by Canadian citizens.

During the spring of 2005 Bill C-27 was studied by the House Standing Committee on Agriculture. The Committee recommends extensive amendments, but these amendments do not address the CFIA’s dual and conflicting mandate. The bill still provides the legal framework for adopting so-called “smart regulation” for food and agriculture, which would tie Canada’s regulatory system to that of the USA.

Bill C-27 proposed to:

  • Consolidate and concentrate the CFIA’s power
  • Authorize the CFIA to re-write Canada’s food and agriculture regulations
  • Affect the regulations under the Meat Inspection,
  • Fish Inspection, Health of Animals, Feeds, Seeds,
  • Crop Protection, Fertilizer, Customs, Canadian Agricultural Products, Consumer Packaging and Labelling, Competition, Monetary Penalties, and
  • CFIA Acts.
  • Facilitate the privatization of the food and
  • agriculture regulatory system.
  • Let the CFIA make agreements with foreign
  • governments and corporations to collect any
  • information for the investigation or enforcement of any law.
  • Make it even harder for the family farm and the small food processor to survive because of the CFIA’s track record of regulating in the interests of export, trade and promotion of the corporate agri-food sector.

The CFIA is the agency in charge of preventing BSE in Canadian cattle, which it failed to do in spite of clear warnings and knowledge of other countries’ experience.

The cost?

  • Thousands of family farm livelihoods, billions of dollars and Canada’s international reputation.
  • The CFIA is the agency that bungled the 2004 Avian Flu crisis in BC, unnecessarily killing millions of healthy birds including exotic, rare and irreplaceable genetic stock.
  • The CFIA is facilitating amendments to the Plant Breeders Rights Act which helps multinational seed companies and hurts family farmers by placing restrictions on farmers’ traditional right to save seed.
  • According to the Auditor General the CFIA is one of the most secretive agencies in the government of Canada. All of its surveillance and inspection work is hidden from the Canadian public. Yet Bill C-27 would give the CFIA authority to disclose, share and make available ANY information to foreign governments!
  • The CFIA has a conflicting dual mandate 1. It regulates and promotes agriculture and food sector. The CFIA is a failed experiment with industry self-regulation. In the risk-benefit balancing act, the CFIA leans towards its agri-business “clients” who reap the trade and revenue benefits while ordinary citizens — consumers and farmers — must bear the health, economic and environmental risks.

Should we be giving the CFIA even more power?

The previous government claimed that Bill C-27 is step two in a three step process to modernize Canada's agriculture and food regulations via so-called "Smart Regulations". We say Bill C-27 will give the CFIA carte blanche to put regulations in place that will lock us into the US regulatory system and cripple our ability to protect our food system and diversify our trading relationships.

The government claims that Bill C-27 will protect Canada from bio-terrorism by increasing surveillance. We say Bill C-27 will let the CFIA take away our civil liberties by giving foreign governments and corporations the ability to collect and share any information for the purpose of investigating and enforcing any law.

Documents and Links

The Legislation

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Information

“Smart Regulation” Information

House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food

Briefs to the Agriculture Committee

Related issues

1 The mandate of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as outlined in its Corporate Business Plan, is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of federal inspection and related services for food and animal and plant health. The objectives of the Agency are to contribute to a safe food supply and accurate product information; to contribute to the continuing health of animals and plants; and to facilitate trade in food, animals, plants and related products. See www.inspection.gc.ca

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