Agriculture minister defends Ottawa’s handling of beef recall

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CALGARY, AB (NEWS1130) – Canada’s agriculture minister held a news conference today at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Calgary laboratory after visiting the province’s XL Foods packing plant, the source of the largest meat recall in Canadian history, while the Speaker of the House of Commons has accepted a Liberal party demand for an emergency debate on the recall for tonight.

Following a meeting with the President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Gerry Ritz defended his fellow federal Conservatives against allegations from the opposition NDP that its cuts to food inspections have led to the recall, saying the government is taking the issues very seriously.

“The health and safety of Canadians and their families is our first priority as government. Canadians expect no less,” Ritz told reporters. “Our government has provided the resources to hire more than 700 additional inspectors, which includes 170 dedicated to meat inspection.”

Ritz said a full contingent of inspectors are working at the scene and the plant will not be reopened until officials are sure it is safe once again.

CFIA President George Da Pont spoke immediately after Ritz, explaining that it took 12 full days to issue the recall because there was a delay in getting all the required information from XL Foods.

“We did ask for all the information,” he said. “We have limited authority to compel immediate documentation.”

However, Dapont did not speak for long, as the news conference was quickly cut short.

“We have people here, we also have people in Ottawa that can address all your questions much faster,” said the Minister’s handler, much to the protests of journalists in attendance.

The news conference came after Saskatchewan reported it has 13 cases of E. coli infection, but it’s not known yet if they’re linked to the beef recall.

In Alberta, health officials have confirmed 10 people who have been sickened with E. coli. Five of those have been linked to steaks from the plant that were purchased at a Costco store in Edmonton.

So far, more than 1.5-million pounds of beef — equaling 1,500 products — have been pulled from store shelves in virtually every brand name supermarket coast to coast.

Opposition and NDP leader Thomas Mulcair blamed the Conservatives for cutting 314 jobs, which he said ultimately led to the mess. However, Ritz said the Conservatives have hired 700 new inspectors since 2006.

Meanwhile, one of the people who became ill after eating contaminated steaks from the Edmonton Costco launching a lawsuit.

The statement of claim was filed in court today, but none of the allegations has been proven.

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