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PACP Committee Report

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GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS: “CHAPTER 4, MANAGING RISKS TO CANADA’S PLANT RESOURCES – CANADIAN FOOD INSPECTION AGENCY OF THE DECEMBER 2008 REPORT OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL OF CANADA”

  1. Protection of Canada’s plant resource base is integral to the Canadian food supply and critical to the environment, social objectives and the economy.  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA’s) Plant Health Program plays an important role in minimizing and managing risk by protecting Canada's plant resources (crops and forests) from regulated pests and diseases. 
  2. The CFIA has the mandate under the Plant Protection Act to protect Canada’s plant resources.  The CFIA’s Plant Health Program utilizes numerous measures to identify and reduce threats to the plant resource base, ranging from surveys and movement control to eradication and emergency response.  In addition, the program aims to sustain the marketability of Canadian plants and plant products by maintaining or enhancing Canada’s reputation for being free of certain pests and diseases and meeting international quality standards for plant products.  The CFIA’s Plant Health Program is an important component of the Government of Canada’s response to invasive alien species.  
  3. The numerous possible pathways for entry of plant diseases into Canada, together with the potential environmental and economic impacts of the spread of a plant pest, make protecting Canada’s plant resources a significant challenge that must continue to be actively addressed by the CFIA.  Globalization has resulted in more commodities from higher-risk markets being imported into Canada, thereby increasing Canada's exposure to new threats and increasing the introduction of new vectors for disease transmission. The CFIA's Plant Health Program is continuously updating and adjusting to respond to risks caused by expanding global trade with the most effective risk management strategies possible using available resources.
  4. In 2008 the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) conducted an audit to examine whether the Agency adequately manages the risk that invasive alien plants, seeds, plant pests, and plant diseases could enter or become established in Canada.   The audit looked at how the CFIA sets and administers standards, conducts pest surveys and plant health risk assessments, and verifies that imports of plants and plant products meet Canadian requirements.  In December 2008 the OAG presented its findings in its Chapter 4 report entitled “Managing Risks to Canada’s Plant Resources – Canadian Food Inspection Agency”.  The Auditor General found that the CFIA’s approach for plant and plant product imports requires a more enhanced, integrated risk-management approach and highlighted a number of significant vulnerabilities.  The CFIA agrees with these findings and has developed the Management Action Plan to Achieve an Effective Risk-based Management Approach to Plant and Plant Product Imports in response to recommendations contained in the OAG report. 
  5. On June 2, 2009, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP) considered the findings of the Chapter 4 of the Auditor General’s December 2008 Report and the CFIA’s Management Action Plan and progress in addressing the OAG recommendations.  On June 19, 2009, the Committee tabled its report entitled “Chapter 4, Managing Risks to Canada’s Plant Resources – Canadian Food Inspection Agency of the December 2008 Report of the Auditor General of Canada”. 
  6. The Government of Canada is pleased to respond to the PACP report relating to managing risks to Canada’s plant resources by the CFIA.  The Government has considered the Committee’s recommendations and is committed to addressing the recommendations of both the PACP and the OAG.  

RECOMMENDATION 1 & 2

The CFIA provide a detailed and technical action plan to the Public Accounts Committee by 31 December 2009.

The CFIA provide the Public Accounts Committee with an interim status report on its progress in implementing that action plan by 30 June 2010, and that additional status reports be submitted to the Committee annually until the recommendations contained in the audit are fully implemented.

  1. The Government agrees with both recommendations.  The CFIA is committed to finalizing a detailed and technical action plan to address both the OAG and PACP recommendations. Work in support of this recommendation has already begun.  The detailed action plan will be provided to the Standing Committee by December 31, 2009. 
  2. In addition, an initial status report on the CFIA’s progress on the implementation of the detailed action plan will be provided by June 30, 2010.  Annual updates will be provided thereafter by June 30th each year.

RECOMMENDATION 3

In the interim status report provided to the Committee, the CFIA include a summary of the progress it has made in reducing the risk assessment backlog, and in implementing a formal risk-based approach for pest surveys in order to identify new threats.

  1. The Government agrees with this recommendation.  The CFIA has already begun to develop a new streamlined risk assessment process for plant pests and diseases that is based on an internationally accepted model.  Implementation of this streamlined process will assist the CFIA in prioritizing and reducing the backlog in risk assessments which the Agency has committed to resolve by March 31, 2010.  The CFIA has also initiated the development of a formal risk and priority-based identification and resource allocation approach for plant pest survey delivery and is committed to have in place an internationally accepted set of risk criteria by December 31, 2009 for application in the next survey season of 2010-11.  The Agency will provide PACP more information on its planned actions to address this recommendation in the detailed action plan which will be submitted by December 31, 2009 and on the progress of the implementation of this plan in the June 30, 2010 interim status report.

RECOMMENDATION 4

The CFIA proceed with implementation of a quality assurance program, and that the CFIA include quality assurance assessments of its import inspection practices in the interim status report. 

  1. The Government agrees with this recommendation and commits to proceeding with the development and implementation of a quality management system within the Plant Health Program.  The Plant Health Program quality management and informatics system will be similar to those in place for other CFIA programs and will better provide assurances that the import component of the Plant Health Program is designed to effectively manage risks to Canada’s plant resources and that it operates as intended.  The quality management system and National Training program will build upon policies and procedures outlined in the Plant Health Import Inspection Manual, revision of which was completed in May 2009.  The CFIA has since initiated associated inspector training sessions to ensure consistency in both the interpretation and application of the Plant Health Import Inspection Program standards and procedures.  The Agency will provide PACP with more information on its planned actions to address this recommendation in the detailed action plan which will be submitted by December 31, 2009 and on the progress of the implementation of this plan in the June 30, 2010 interim status report.

RECOMMENDATION 5

In addition to identifying overall information management needs, the Plant Health Program explore the possibility of reforming its information management using existing technologies that are currently at its disposal, and that CFIA include a summary of their progress in updating information management and technology in the interim report.

  1. The Government agrees with this recommendation.  Plant Health Program business requirements will be reviewed and documented in the context of horizontal Agency technology initiatives.  As part of this process, shorter-term cost-effective approaches to address Plant Health Program needs in addition to longer-term measures will be considered. Options will be discussed and an overall approach to improve existing processes will be developed.  The Agency will provide PACP more information on its planned actions to address this recommendation in the detailed action plan which will be submitted by December 31, 2009 and on the progress of the implementation of this plan in the June 30, 2010 interim status report. 

RECOMMENDATION 6

The Government provide the CFIA with ongoing funding to support the Plant Health Program.

  1. The Government agrees with this recommendation and provides ongoing funding for the Plant Health Program.  While the majority of funding for the Plant Health Program is ongoing, a segment of the funding is subject to review before renewal.  Such a time-limited approach to funding is utilized for new and evolving plant health programs such as the Invasive Alien Species program, Plum Pox Virus and addressing other plant pest emergencies. This is consistent with good financial management as it ensures that funds are allocated to the highest priority areas given the constantly evolving nature of the risks to plant health in Canada.
  2. The Government continually reviews its programs to identify ways to improve and make them more efficient.  As part of this ongoing process, steps will be taken to develop a more strategic and modernized Plant Health Program within CFIA that is better positioned to meet current and future plant health challenges. This process will also inform CFIA management of the Plant Health Program resources.