Now that he’s made a little progress sorting out Canada’s gun enthusiasts, maybe it’s time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to do something about those coronavirus mega-spreaders in our midst — meatpacking plants. It’s no longer possible to deny that the way the meatpacking industry operates in North America makes
Continue readingTag: Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Alberta Politics: Devin Dreeshen’s happy talk about workplace safety undermines the battle against COVID-19
By insisting Alberta’s meat-packing plants are safe to work in despite crowded conditions and ignoring workers’ pleas to temporarily close large slaughterhouses to halt the spread of COVID-19, Alberta Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen appears to be actively undermining the provincial fight against the coronavirus. It may have seemed faintly credible
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Stephen Harper: Merry Christmas And Bah, Humbug!
My fellow Canadians, If the above doesn’t not warm the cockles of your Christmas hearts, please check out these, a small portion of this year’s ‘gifts’: Something for your digestive consideration. Something for the greenie on your seasonal list. And, for those workers both domestic and foreign, one of my
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Scandalous Government Coverup of ISA Virus In Salmon
Here is another shocking post from marine biologist Alexandra Morton Alexandra Morton-Marine Biologist The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), our global first line of defence against farm animal epidemics, just stacked the odds against stopping ISA virus from spreading in British Columbia. They stripped the lab I am using
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Canadian Food Inspection Agency Should Be Investigated For Fraud
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger What the hell is going on with the C.F.I.A ? The very agency that is charged with protecting our food sources is in fact conflicted over the virus ridden Atlantic Farmed Salmon that threaten our wild stocks and should not be eaten by anyone. Today, the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Sunny Freeman reports on the Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights’ study into the effects of anti-labour legislation: The CFLR argues that [right-to-free-ride] laws would contribute to greater income disparity by undermining union strength and rights to collective bargaining, which they say leads
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Tweetergate? Meatergate? For heaven’s sake, stop her before she Tweets again!
Alberta’s Wildrose Opposition Leader Danielle Smith Tweeting “let them eat steaks” over the worldwide web. Injudicious Alberta politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: The offending Tweet; the real Ms. Smith. Alberta Opposition Leader Memo to Self: Whatever was I thinking? Whoever does Wildrose Party Leader Danielle “Marie Antoinette”
Continue readingsomecanuckchick dot com: When is an Agriculture minister ^NOT an Agriculture minister?
Silence is golden. A proverbial saying… With respect to the Harper government, specifically the Agriculture minister and the XL Foods recall, saying nothing is preferable to speaking. For those of you keeping track… It has been 1 week and 1 day since Gerry Ritz, the Minister of Agriculture, updated Canadians
Continue readingAlberta Diary: XL Foods, Tories and a frightened, politicized inspection agency offer a textbook case of brand destruction
“If it ain’t Alberta, it ain’t beef!” Not any more, though, thanks to the efforts of Alberta politicians, companies and the federal food inspection agency. From left to right above: Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry “Cold Cuts” Ritz, Alberta Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson and Alberta Premier Alison Redford. Actual politicians may
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: In Praise of Thanksgiving
I’m especially thankful this year for turkey. H/t somecanuckchick Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Chopped Liver, Everyone?
Comedians like Don Rickles, whenever he felt slighted, would turn to host Johnny Carson and ask, “What am I, chopped liver?” I couldn’t help but think of that line when I read this story in today’s Star, which reveals the following: [The Canadian Food Inspection Agency] stopped allowing XL Foods
Continue readingImpolitical: Gerry Ritz should be fired – Part XIII
Agreed: “Mulcair demands Ritz resign over E. coli case.” Some of us have been calling for the firing of the Ritz since circa 2008, so we’re up to part 13 here on the blog. The listeriosis crisis, also occurring under Ritz’s watch and the Conservatives’ revision of meat inspection rules,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Not To State The Obvious But ….
Canada’s food safety regime failed us So goes the title of The Star’s editorial this morning as it raises some very pressing questions about how over three weeks elapsed between the discovery of E.coli in the XL Foods’ Lakeside Packers plant in Alberta and the meat recall that will likely
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: I’ll Have a Veggie Burger, Please
In light of the widespread dissemination of tainted beef by XL Foods, one has to ask the role changes made by the Harper regime in Canada’s food inspection process played. According to a Globe report, The list of stores and products affected by the recall is now so long that
Continue readingAlberta Diary: If it’s Alberta, it ain’t goin’ across the border: time to connect the dots on XL Foods
“If it ain’t Alberta, it ain’t beef!” Alberta Beef Producers’ advertising models may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: I [HEART] [ALBERTA MAP] [BEETS]; Alberta Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson and Premier Alison Redford. Do you remember that brilliant advertising campaign, “If it ain’t Alberta, it ain’t beef”? Well, nowadays –
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review – April 23, 2012
Monday, April 23 was the first day back in the House of Commons following the Easter break. And it featured some of the most lively and telling discussion we’ve seen yet on the Cons’ anti-refugee legislation as the second-reading debate reached its end. The Big Issue As part of the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Make That A Soya Burger For Me
If the Harper regime has its way, a rise in cholesterol levels may be the least of your worries when you make that next trip to Macdonalds. Recommend this Post
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review – March 30, 2012
Friday, March 30 was the first day of Peter Julian’s budget filibuster. But while it accomplished its goal of avoiding several hours worth of Con talking points, was there much to take from Julian’s own comments? The Big Issue Well, let’s highlight a few of his more noteworthy observations. First,
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: History Repeats Itself
The Globe and Mail reports this morning that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in particular will feel the consequences of the Harper government’s drive to reduce spending. Bill Curry reports that: the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Agriculture Canada will be among the hardest-hit departments as Ottawa rolls out where
Continue reading