Canada Votes 'No' on GE-Food Labels
Podcast: 'Deconstructing Dinner' on Bill C-517's defeat in the House of Commons.
On April 10, Deconstructing Dinner aired a segment on Bill C-517 -- a bill introduced by Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament Gilles A. Perron. The bill was calling for the mandatory labelling of genetically engineered foods.
Canadians have long been demanding that foods containing genetically engineered ingredients be labelled. Over 40 countries around the world have successfully implemented such requirements.
On April 3, 2008, C-517 was debated in the House by members of all parties. Deconstructing Dinner recorded the debate and followed up with Conservative MP Bruce Stanton who opposed the bill.
The bill was debated yet again on May 5, and on May 7 was defeated by a vote of 156-101.
However, there's one problem; some MPs opposing the bill and joining in the debate on May 5 clearly had very little idea what genetically engineered foods are. Some information in particular, which was shared with the expressed purpose of assuring other MPs and Canadians that GE-foods are safe, was, quite simply, untrue.
The freedom to choose between genetically-engineered foods and non-engineered foods has been negated due to misinformation used to influence the vote.
Of course, as per usual, only one other media source has covered this bill, and that is the country's largest agricultural publication: The Western Producer. Unfortunately, even they did not pick up on the misinformed MPs speaking on the bill.
Voices/guests
Rob Merrifield, MP Yellowhead, Conservative Party of Canada (Whitecourt, Alta.) -- Rob represents the Yellowhead riding in Alberta, making up the area west of Edmonton towards the B.C. border. Rob is a farmer in Whitecourt and has been growing genetically engineered crops for many years. He was first elected to the House in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004 and 2006. He has chaired the Health Committee and has been involved in the Health Portfolio since he was first elected as a member of Parliament.
Wayne Easter, MP Malpeque, Liberal Party of Canada (North Wilitshire, P.E.I.) -- Wayne is the Liberal Party's critic on agriculture and agri-food. He represents the riding of Malpeque, which is the central part of Prince Edward Island. Easter was raised on a farm and attended the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. He was first elected as the MP in 1993 and has been re-elected ever since. Wayne has been very involved in Canadian agricultural issues and has long supported the principles of globalization and free trade with respect to food.
Josh Brandon, agriculture campaigner, Greenpeace Canada (Vancouver, B.C.) -- Josh is an agriculture campaigner with Greenpeace and has worked on many projects across the country to raise awareness of issues of genetic engineering. He is a member of the steering committee for the Society for a GE Free B.C. and is an agriculture representative on the National Council of the Canadian Environmental Network.
Related Tyee stories:
- Seeds of Discontent
Podcast: 'Deconstructing Dinner' takes on Monsanto. - Yukon's Big 'No' to GE Crops
Final part of podcast 'Colonizing the Canadian Farmer.' - Can We Create GE-Free Zones?
Part two of podcast 'Colonizing the Canadian farmer.'
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sicntired
26-05-2008
Tasteless
[url=http://]I do not profess to have any real knowledge of genetic manipulation in plants but I do know that much of the produce I buy today is tasteless when compared to back in the day.I have read that this is one of the results of genetic manipulation.I'm not a person afraid of science but this is a whole different ball game.I realise there is a need to increase production and find plants that are more disease resistant but I think we should be informed and have the choice of whether or not we purchase these products.This is just another example of big corporate interests influencing parliament through lobbyists and liars.
Fiat lux
27-05-2008
GM seeds/products have only
GM seeds/products have only one purpose, to increase the profits of Monsanto and a few other corporations. They have no other benefits. Do not increase production and do not cut back on chemicals.
We have absolutely no proofs that they're harmless to humans and animals and pimp governments and the corporations are doing their best to keep the public in dark.
Scientists who have suggested and proven that they may be very harmful to health, like Dr.Pusztay, have been vilified, threatened, blackmailed and every effort has been made to ruin their careers and reputations. Look it up on google.
On the other hand they enslave farmers, as we have seen in the Percy Schmeiser case, and have good chance to starve billions to death with the collapse of ecological systems through mispollination.
Tasteless produce, and much of the cancer and other epidemics, like diabetes, that were virtually unheard of 50 + years ago, are the result of the Green Revolution, that covers everything with chemicals, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides etc. to be "more efficient", by destroying the family farm system and replacing it with agribiz mega corporations.
I was working in the Green Revolution crime wave from 1948 to 55 and have seen my friends destroyed, and the accumulated poisons in my body paralyzing and almost killing me 50 years later.
When we moved up here in 1979, after 24 years in Vancouver and supermarket garbage, and harvested the first vegetables from our strictly organic garden, we rediscovered the tastes of our childhoods.
When we're forced to buy supermarket junk in the winters, even after careful examination and so called "organic", it often end up in the garbage, as we can't eat it.
The same goes for feedlot meats pumped up with all kinds of hormones, steroids, antibiotics and grain.
There are billions of people around the world, especially in so called "developed countries", who have never tasted real foods, grew up and got hooked on eating garbage and medications from day one, while paying through the nose for a fraud .
Ed Deak. Big Lake.
RagingRanter
27-05-2008
GE Food Labeling
Nearly all food on the supermarket shelves contains some form of transgenic crop or another. And there is not one single shred of evidence pointing to any harm done by so-called GMOs. They are in fact more environmentally friendly than non-GMO crops, as they can be grown with less chemicals being used.