AGRI Committee News Release
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Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food |
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6 |
Comité permanent de l'agriculture et de l'agroalimentaire |
For immediate release
NEWS RELEASE
Lessons Learned from the Avian Flu Outbreak
Ottawa, January 07, 2005 - At its meeting on December 7, 2004, the Standing Committee passed a motion authorizing a selected list of Committee members from all parties to conduct a fact-finding mission in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
The mission will provide a public forum for stakeholders to discuss the lessons learned from the devastating outbreak of avian influenza in the Fraser Valley last spring. Some analysts view that event as the possible precursor of a much more serious outbreak that could eventually have worldwide ramifications. The Standing Committee believes, therefore, that it is imperative that all the lessons learned be well understood, and that the findings be used to implement an enhanced crisis management system at the federal level.
“For sanitary reasons, it was not appropriate for the Committee to travel to British Columbia during the avian flu outbreak. The Committee did, however, hold a briefing session in March 2004 in Ottawa, and its agenda called for an eventual fact-finding mission on the aftermath of the outbreak. The Committee will therefore travel to Abbotsford and hold hearings with various stakeholders on 18-19 January 2005. Our members look forward to hearing the views of people affected by the outbreak with regard to how we can be better prepared in the future,” stated Paul Steckle, M.P. (Huron-Bruce), Chair of the Standing Committee.
The Committee members who will attend the hearings in Abbotsford are:
Paul Steckle, Chair(L), Gerry Ritz, Vice-Chair(CPC), Denise Poirier-Rivard(BQ), Rose-Marie Ur(L), Randy White(CPC), Peter Julian(NDP)
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