12-Month Lobbying Summary - Consultant

Subject Matters

• Agriculture
• Consumer Issues
• Employment and Training
• Health
• Immigration
• Industry
• Infrastructure
• Internal Trade
• International Trade
• Labour
• Taxation and Finance

Subject Matter Details

Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution

• Access to Labour:The Government of Canada should create a 10-year $50 million tax credit for the adoption of automation and industrial robotics in the Canadian meat industry to help Canada’s meat packing and processing industry become more productive during this time of chronic labour shortages.
• Canada US Regulatory Cooperation: The Canadian Meat Council is advocating for greater regulatory alignment between Canada and the U.S. to achieve enhanced equivalency of inspection systems.
• Canada-EU: the Canadian Meat Council is advocating for commercially viable access to Europe for Canadian beef and pork under the provisions of the Canada Europe Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
• Capital Cost Allowance: The Canadian Meat Council is advocating for the permanent adoption of the temporary increase to the depreciation rate for manufacturing and machinery and equipment from 30% to 50% on a declining balance basis upon the expiry of the accelerated capital cost allowance.
• Express Entry: The Canadian Meat Council is advocating that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada accommodate all “high demand occupations” including industrial butchers in the Express Entry Program that came into effect on January 1, 2015 without quota limitations. They are advocating for an adjustment to the National Occupation Classification for industrial butchers to Group B.
• Increased Budget for CFIA: The Government of Canada should contribute an additional $10 million to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for food safety compliance promotion of the new Safe Food for Canadians Regulations over the period 2015-20. The Agency needs adequate resources to ensure that compliance with the new requirements is achieved quickly to ensure that Canada’s food safety system remains.
• International Barriers to Trade: The Canadian Meat Council seeks to eliminate or prevent out-dated, overly burdensome, discriminatory or otherwise inappropriate technical requirements in other countries that can create unnecessary obstacles to trade, reduce competition and prevent Canadian exporters from participating in global supply under the WTO SPS and TBT Agreements. The Canadian Meat Council is advocating for strengthened regulatory cooperation initiatives in regional, plurilateral and multilateral trade agreements to further facilitate trade.
• Interprovincial Meat Trade Pilot Project: the Canadian Meat Council is advocating that all meat processed in Canada should be inspected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency under the new Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations.
• Market Access for Canadian Meat Exports Program: The Canadian Meat Council is advocating for a 5-year $10 million Market Access for Canadian Meat Exports Program to help Canada’s meat packing and processing industry take full advantage of the export opportunities created by new international trade agreements.
• Meat Safety Tax Credit: the Canadian Meat Council is advocating for the creation of a new Meat Safety Tax Credit based on eligible expenses for Canada’s food processing industry for a safer food supply for Canadians.
• Refugees: The Canadian Meat Council is advocating for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to initiate efforts to direct refugee settlement to locations where individuals may be qualified, with training, to fill meat industry job vacancies.
• Temporary Foreign Worker Program: the Canadian Meat Council is advocating for the continued access for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program for Canada's meat industry.
• Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement: the Canadian Meat Council is advocating for the Government of Canada to ratify the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement Negotiations.

Regulation

• Food and Drug Regulations: the Canadian Meat Council is advocating for the approval of new regulations to extend the use of food irradiation in Canada to include ground beef, poultry, and beef carcasses.
• Health Canada Own Use Drug Provision: the Canadian Meat Council supports the introduction of amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations to restrict personal use importation of unapproved veterinary drugs intended to be administered to food-producing animals.
• Safe Food for Canadians Act: The Canadian Meat Council is advocating for the development of outcome based food safety regulations under the Safe Food for Canadians Act. The Canadian Meat Council is advocating for the development and implementation of a risk- based and evidence-based food inspection safety system.