Agriculture committee  My view might be slightly different. We have so many government departments, I think a food policy can start out as an aspirational statement, and then we leave it to the players to focus on how they're going to achieve it. Our group has focused less on governance. We don't see it so much as an ongoing operational matter, as it is to establish a vision for where we want to go and then let all of the different departments—all of the food industry and all of primary agriculture—focus on how we're going to achieve that.

Agriculture committee  Yes. I don't like to characterize it as animal protein versus plant protein. I think it's a continuum. I think that what we need to look at is the opportunity to address the outcomes that we are looking for—human health, environmental sustainability, affordability of food items—and the pathway we can use to get there.

Agriculture committee  Thank you. I'm going to jump right into a discussion of one of the pillars, improving health and food safety. Improving the health of Canadians should, in my mind, be the lead statement in a Canadian food policy. In the past, government has been particularly fixated on introducing regulations as the primary way to improve health.

Environment committee  I'd be happy to. I'll use the example of a slice of bread. A major Canadian company and many small ones have come out with a bread that now includes pulse flours, rather than just wheat flour or multiple cereal flours. Canadians are supplying a major bakery in the U.K. with both wheat and pulses for a reformulated bread.

Environment committee  In the risk-based approach that is in place for crop protection products, it is the company, it is the technology developer, that undertakes the studies that are mandated by government, and then government evaluators will take a look at that data and make the assessment. It's still the technology provider that is making the investment to provide the data, and then an independent body of scientists, PMRA, and under global joint review, this workload is shared with the EPA and other agencies that are part of the global joint review will take a look at that.

Environment committee  Yes, and in the pulse area specifically, our funding comes primarily from farmers. Over the past 10 years, we have been working very closely at the other end of the stream from a health value proposition perspective in understanding what pulses can contribute. We're working with the food industry to make sure that we can explore the potential of pulses to play a positive role in looking at non-communicable diseases that affect not only Canadians but people around the world.

Environment committee  My background doesn't qualify me to respond to the question.

Environment committee  Mr. Shields, I'm not sure I understood the question or am capable of answering it.

Environment committee  In the risk-based assessment, and I think this is a key part and a strength of our approach and the regulatory approach in Canada, and this is specifically referring to the Pest Control Products Act, but I think there's a very good lesson in it, in that there is pre-market consideration of the elderly, young children, many at-risk populations, in understanding what a lifetime of exposure would be.

Environment committee  For our approach on crop protection products, we actually feel that the Canadian agency is one of the toughest agencies in the world. I could cite examples. Comparisons to other agencies and the approach they take is an important thing to look at. We need to understand the reasons that a product might not be approved for use.

Environment committee  It's our belief, and the belief of many, that we need a risk-based assessment. I'll speak about it from a crop-protection perspective and what the Pest Control Products Act does, which is very extensive. Companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars in pre-market assessments, which brings in a critical component, and that is exposure.

Environment committee  PMRA, the Canadian agency, and EPA in the U.S., along with other groups, have taken a global approach to reviews. This does a couple of things. One is that it makes sure that technologies are evaluated quickly and at a cost-effective level, and then, if they pass the rigorous tests, they are made available to be part of the productive chain in the food system.

Environment committee  Good afternoon, Madam Chairman, and good afternoon to all the committee members. Thank you very much for the invitation to appear in front of you today. I want to start with a very brief introduction of our organization. Pulse Canada is the national industry group representing farmers and processors and exporters of pulse crops in Canada.

International Trade committee  Again, I will provide the clerk with the most recent statistics from 2012, but in past years 50% of India's total pulse imports came from Canada. I will provide the most updated statistics. I don't have them at my fingertips.

International Trade committee  The reason is, again, the poorest people in the country have the lowest per capita consumption. This is one reason the Indian government is trying to increase production. The price is out of reach of many of the poorest people in India. And simply, you've had an enormous population increase, and the supply just simply isn't there.