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Wynne Says Missing ‘Food’ an “Administrative Glitch”

Ontario PC Ag Critic Says Wynne Should Take Responsibility for ‘Food’ Oversight

By , Farms.com

Premier Kathleen Wynne was called out in the Ontario Legislature today, on her failure to include ‘Food’ in her first swearing-in ceremony. Wynne’s response to her second swearing-in ceremony which was kept secret until recently was that it was an “administrative glitch.”

“Someone who wants to serve as our agriculture and food Minister and claims to have an interest in the industry should know enough to include food in their oath regardless,” said Ernie Hardeman, Oxford MPP and PC Critic for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.  “Calling it an administrative glitch is an attempt to transfer responsibility to staff, but only one person took that oath and she should also take responsibility,”

The opposition says that Wynne should have apologized and taken responsibility for forgetting ‘Food’ from her title. Hardeman says that Wynne’s actions are an insult to those who work in agriculture and food industries in the province.

Hardeman says that people who work in the agriculture and food industries deserve respect and a Minister who will dedicate the time needed to do the job properly. “Not a Minister who forgets about food unless it’s written on the paper in front of her.”


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Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.