Ryan Keon
Your Liberal Candidate

The Nepean-Carleton Federal Liberal Association is pleased to announce that at our nomination meeting, held on September 9, 2009, Ryan Keon was nominated as our candidate for the next federal election.

More details about our candidate can be found here.

Food Safety Forum draws crowd from all over Nepean-Carleton

On April 21, 2009, a grassroots town hall style discussion on Food Safety drew over 60 participants from across the region interested in food from business, family and personal perspectives.

Co-hosted by the Nepean-Carleton Federal and Provincial Liberal Associations in the Council Chambers at Ben Franklin Place, the event provided valuable information and insight about the three S’s of Food: Food Safety; Food Security; and Food Sovereignty.

The event explored what governments are doing about it, and what consumers can do. After a quick introduction from the President of Nepean-Carleton Federal Liberal Association, Gordon Shields, College Ward City Councillor Rick Chiarelli emphasized the increasing importance of food safety in our global society.

The speakers’ viewpoints ranged from a producer perspective from local farmer Merle Bowes, to Ms. Moe Garahan, the director of a local non-profit organization promoting a sustainable food system in Ottawa, to a local food retailer, the owner of Ross’ Your Independent Grocer in Barrhaven, Ken Ross. Rounding out the panel was former Cabinet minister the Hon. Wayne Easter (P.C., M.P.), Official Opposition Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food and member of the parliamentary committee looking into the summer’s deadly listeriosis outbreak.

Easter told the crowd that, in 1979, he contributed to a paper on issues in the agriculture area. The same issues then still remain today. On Parliament Hill, there is a federal Liberal Food Caucus that discusses such issues. Since 1979, Canada has lost nearly 80% of its farmers. We are losing approximately 3 600 farmers a year. However, there is a changing mood towards food sovereignty and food security. This needs to grow. We need a balanced comprehensive policy as a whole.

Merle Bowes argued that Canada does not have inferior meat, but we have an insufficient number of processing plants. Slaughtered meat cannot go out of province, so we move our live cattle instead. Our entire food system in Canada is geared toward food export. Most of our issues are policy and system oriented. Systems need to be streamlined as regulations have become too complex. People need to get involved to make a positive difference.

Moe Garahan took a different approach, informing the crowd that there are many things about food safety that we are not aware of. Ignorance about the food supply in general is rife as well.

Canada needs to change its focus from the marketing-based food system – the globalized food system. We need to shift our focus to growing food locally.

Ken Ross emphasized that food is a collective responsibility for everyone. Every part of the food chain is needed. As a food retailer, Ken must be aware of the environment, the producers, the entire supply chain and most importantly the consumers. There is a lack of consumer education about all of these areas and this is an important missing element in good safety.

For their part, food retailers hire independent auditors for municipal, provincial and federal regulation compliance, and they have visits by municipal and provincial inspectors. They are there to help educate, while ensuring safe food practices. In his stores, he also regularly promotes educational seminars on food.

The event guests were treated to refreshments and excellent accommodations at Ben Franklin Place. The NCFLA would like to thank Vice-President (Policy) Rabia D’Andrade and the Policy Committee for putting this event together.

Thanks as well go out to the NCPLA for co-hosting and co-sponsoring this successful community discussion forum. Stay tuned for more discussion forums in the future – balanced views, intellectual stimulation and friendly company!