Members of the Canadian Parliament will decide whether to approve mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods in a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday [May 16].
The private members bill C-291 — introduced by Pierre-Luc Dusseault, the NDP (New Democratic Party) MP for Sherbrooke, Quebec, — is short on detail, specifying only that the Food and Drugs Act be amended such that “No person shall sell any food that is genetically modified unless its label contains information … to prevent the purchaser or the consumer of the food from being deceived or misled in respect of its composition.”
The term ‘genetically modified’ is not defined in the bill, which generated a lot of discussion during the second reading, with opponents arguing that the wording is too vague and supporters arguing that such vagary provides important ‘latitude.’
Addressing MPs in March [2017], Francis Drouin (Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, Lib.} said supporters of the bill were being disingenuous by arguing that it is simply about greater transparency, adding: “Let us be honest: this bill is calling for the mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods so that people will choose not to buy them.”
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Canadian GMO labeling debate heats up ahead of May 17 vote
