"Lots to Beef About"

May 28, 2003

While it’s not surprising that some Canadian consumers questioned whether to eat beef when a case of “Mad Cow” – or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) – was uncovered in Canada last week, by now everyone should know that Canadian beef is safe.   

Throughout the past decade, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has implemented some of the most rigorous steps in the world to prevent the introduction and spread of BSE into Canada.  The food inspection system did its job.  The single cow diagnosed with BSE did not enter the food chain.   

Now begins the very critical job of ensuring that Canadian and international consumers get that message loud and clear.  However, the fact that this responsibility falls upon the federal government has made farmers and the beef industry rather nervous, and can you blame them?  We have the safest food supply in the world, but if the federal Liberals handle the “Mad Cow” file like they have the SARS outbreak in Toronto, a lot of livelihoods are in serious jeopardy. 

It was an absentee and inactive federal Health Minister and Prime Minister that prompted the costly World Health Organization (WHO) advisory against travel to Toronto.   

In the interests of the Canadian beef industry, I sincerely hope the federal Liberals choose this crisis to redeem themselves.  There’s a lot riding on it.  Beef production extends into the processing, retail, food service and transportation sectors, employing roughly 100,000 people.

So far, the Alberta Minister of Agriculture and federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief seem to understand the need to reassure domestic and international markets.  Their daily briefings convey to consumers and the trading partners that have closed their borders to Canadian beef, that the government is working diligently to resolve the investigation.  Mr. Vanclief’s most difficult task in convincing our largest trading partner, the United States, to lift its ban on Canadian beef may be getting his boss to do his job. 

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien has allowed his ministers and staff to insult the U.S. President and the American people.  His government’s failure to maintain a secure and positive relationship with the U.S. has already wrought serious consequences for our agriculture, lumber and steel industries.   

Mr. Chrétien finally called President Bush, but he couldn’t “remember” whether he had mentioned BSE!  Canada sends 75 percent of its beef and cattle exports to the U.S., making it a $3-billion market.  Mr. Chrétien’s ongoing criticism of Mr. Bush will not help our government’s efforts to have the U.S. lift its ban. 

Here at home, workers affected by BSE deserve the same consideration the federal government gave to Toronto workers affected by SARS.  The two-week waiting period for Employment Insurance should be waived for those laid off in BSE-related shutdowns.  The federal government must also be well-prepared to deal with the disastrous economic impact on the beef industry and the Canadian economy.

I can appreciate the media value in the Agriculture Minister eating a steak in front of the television cameras to show that our beef is safe, but I sincerely hope his government’s strategy to deal with the BSE fallout has a lot more meat to it than that!