Halting debate on GM alfalfa threat to democracy: MP - The Western ...

Conservative MPs on the House of Commons agriculture committee recently closed down public debate on whether GM alfalfa should be approved for sale in Canada or subject to a moratorium.


During a committee hearing on value chain implications for the next generation of farm programs, British Columbia New Democrat Alex Atamanenko tried to use his committee time to propose a motion that there be a moratorium on approval of any GM alfalfa variety proposed for commercialization.


GM alfalfa has already been approved for use in the United States.


Saskatchewan Conservative Randy Hoback argued that Atamanenko was misusing his committee time when there were witnesses on another topic and recommended that the discussion be held in secret.


The Conservative majority on the committee agreed.


Liberal MP Frank Valeriote asked that the debate be held in public, but to no avail.


Conservative MPs complained about the motion for almost half an hour in private session and attacked Atamanenko for raising the issue out of turn and damaging Canada’s reputation as being open for research investment governed by a science-based approval process. 


The motion did not come to a vote before chair Larry Miller adjourned the meeting.


The GM alfalfa issue was debated extensively in public during the last Parliament, when the Conservatives did not have a majority and the agriculture committee held hearings on biotechnology.


However, the Conservative majority used a closed meeting of the committee at the beginning of the current Parliament last autumn to refuse to allow the biotechnology study to continue.


Atamanenko said in an April 12 interview from his southeastern B.C. riding that the Conservative decision to kill the GM alfalfa de-bate and to do so in secret session is typical of the government now in majority.


Opposition parties have complained that public debate has been shut down on many of the issues that their MPs have proposed at various committees when the Conservative majority moves the discussion into closed sessions.


“It appears the Conservatives don’t want anything controversial, anything that is not on their agenda, discussed in public,” he said. 


“I think this is an affront to the democratic process. We need public debate on these issues, even if they don’t want to and they have the numbers to eventually win.”


Atamanenko said the Conservative argument on the GM alfalfa moratorium proposal, moved in the last Parliament by Liberal Wayne Easter, is that the mere discussion of resistance to genetically modified products will drive away industry investment.


“I’m being told by Conservatives that the industry contributes to research and if we even think of passing this motion, they’re threatening to pull out,” he said.


“That’s blackmail, and here we have a government listening to the biotech industry over the democratic right to debate. This is a threat to existing farmers and the organic sector and I have not talked to a single farmer that wants this and yet the government refuses to discuss it in public.”


He said his proposal is to halt approval until the ramifications are considered. 


“It is frustrating and shameful that they will not allow that debate to happen.”