To the Editor,
I used to be a strong supporter of the role of government, but that was back when they supported public rather than corporate interests. Now we endure governments with palpable contempt for the public.
Embedded in the notorious 400-plus page Budget Implementation Bill are changes to the way foods are labelled, no longer requiring accurate ingredient lists.
It will also be legal to slaughter animals not fit for transportation at the farm and they can now enter the human food chain.
Even more egregious is the proposed B.C. Animal Health Act that specifically prevents anyone from disclosing information that would “reveal a notifiable or reportable disease is or may be present in a specific place”.
This is backed up by possible maximum fines of $75,000 and two years in jail and is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Where is the public interest in all this and why would such a law even be proposed?
The Trans Pacific Partnership currently under quasi-secret federal negotiation apparently considers food safety a “barrier to trade”. I guess that could explain the otherwise inexplicable abandonment of the public interest to that of big business.
Is Canada still a democracy?
Liz Fox
Lantzville
