OTTAWA – The Conservative government's plan to slash spending on food safety could put Canadians at risk of another crisis like the deadly listeriosis outbreak, says the federal meat inspectors' union.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's latest spending plan proposes deep budget cuts, and the union says the food-safety program will be hit the hardest.
"Make no mistake that food safety costs money, but less safety can cost a lot more, but in terms of money and human suffering," union head Bob Kingston said Monday.
The agency's 2011-12 spending plan proposes to lower its overall budget by a total of $21.5 million and reduce staff by 234 positions.
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