June 19, 2009, Ottawa – A parliamentary probe into the listeriosis crisis is calling for a public inquiry into the outbreak.
June 19, 2009, Ottawa – A parliamentary probe into the listeriosis crisis is calling for a public inquiry into the outbreak.
The Commons committee report, tabled Thursday, makes more than a dozen recommendations to improve food safety in Canada.
They include working more closely with the United States on food-safety standards and reviewing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to make sure inspectors have adequate resources and training.
Opposition MPs on the panel also recommend giving the Public Health Agency of Canada and the country's chief public-health officer greater independence from government.
But the smaller number of Conservatives on the panel released their own dissenting report with no mention of a public inquiry.
The Tories say they will await the findings of an independent investigator appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to probe the outbreak.
Investigator Sheila Weatherill must report to Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz by July 20. That's four months past the original March 15 due date set when Harper promised an "arm's-length'' investigation last September.
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