China has halted all beef and pork exports from Canada. The reason? A feed restrictive additive called ractopamine. Traces of it were found in a batch of pork products by Chinese inspectors. This additive is banned in Russia, Europe and China, but of course approved in the U.S. and Canada. Why do I say “of course”? Because we know that the US is not averse to experimenting on its own populations with dangerous drugs and Canada more likely than not to follow the lead of the US. But upon further reading of the article I learned that the Chinese authorities had uncovered something else that deserves Canadian’s attention. The Chinese investigators also found that the official veterinary health certificates that were attached to the batch of pork exports were actually counterfeit, “reflecting obvious safety loop-holes in the Canada’s export system” the Chinese embassy said.
Okay, I get it. China is peeved with Canada over a number of things, the main one being the arrest and holding of Mrs. Meng Wanzhou, the CEO of Huawei. I feel sure that if Mrs. Meng was released to return to China tout de suite things might be patched up between China and Canada and after a mild lecture on feed additives that are banned in China and the matter of the counterfeit health certificates spoken to, trade in pork and beef could resume. But I am not satisfied with this. Especially after I read the response from the Canadian government.
Canadian’s Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude-Bibeau acknowledged issues with the export certificates but called it a “technical issue” and maintained food exports are safe. And Justine Lesage, press secretary for Marie-Claude elaborated: “The Canadian food and Inspection Agency (CFIA) identified an issue involving inauthentic export certificates that could affect the export of pork and beef products to China”. I can’t believe this. In the first place it wasn’t the CFIA who uncovered the counterfeit health certificates. It was the Chinese inspectors who found this crime. Because I think this kind of deliberate fraud is a crime, a crime against both Chinese and Canadian citizens. But maybe this was just a one-off, right? But no. I don’t think so. To produce inauthentic health certificates in my mind suggests a deliberate intent to commit fraud. Otherwise, it would suggest that the employees and top brass at the packing companies can’t tell the different between China and America. Either way, this kind of thing is not to be tolerated and makes Canada look incredibly incompetent or deliberately fraudulent. Mari-Claude Bibeau and Justine Lesage should both be sacked immediately. And why is it that this so dangerous drug that is banned in all of Europe and Russia and China is allowed here in Canada? Are we Canadians “Children of a lesser God?”
