--- title: "Accountability Is Key To Food Safety, Says Canada’s Grant Robertson" date: 2009-07-05T14:06:33-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/accountability-is-key-to-food-safety-says-canadas-grant-robertson" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / # Accountability Is Key To Food Safety, Says Canada’s Grant Robertson Grant Robertson from **National Farmers Union**-Ontario has some comments today in Canada’s Sun Times newspaper about the investigation into Maple Leaf [listeria ](http://www.about-listeria.com/)outbreak. In part, he says: “The Maple Leaf Listeria outbreak pulled back the curtain on an inspection system that was no longer serving Canadians. It revealed a government agenda of removing inspections and a minister not up to the job of working in farmers’ interests, in my view. ![](http://media.nowpublic.net/images//57/c/57cd2a55a05ac4860c8b1214764d87ab.jpg)“On June 18 the federal Subcommittee of Food Safety released its report into the listerosis deaths caused by tainted meat from the Maple Leaf plant and into food safety in general. “It seems to me as though the government was more concerned about covering a posterior part of their collective anatomies than really getting down to brass tacks on how to fix a system that clearly has problems. “And if the deaths of 22 Canadians were not enough to send the government signals that there are serious problems then it is hard to understand what it would take. Many of the 21 recommendations in the dissenting report basically boil down to recommending the government should actually do the job Canadians expect and a bunch of motherhood statements. “Missing from the report is any sense that food inspection should be completely independent of government and political considerations and not take place in a self-policing environment on the plant floor. “ Check out the rest in [The Sun Times](http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1641645). ### Other Listeria Lawsuits [Clover Hill Dairy Cheese sickens 12 with Listeria - 1 Death](https://marlerclark.com/clover-hill-dairy-cheese-sickens-8-with-listeria) [70 Sickened by Salmonella Cantaloupe](https://marlerclark.com/70-sickened-by-salmonella-cantaloupe) [Headcheese linked to Listeria illnesses in Illinois](https://marlerclark.com/headcheese-linked-to-listeria-illnesses-in-illinois) [Kroger and Walmart Pasta Listeria 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The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Related Resources ###### [Listeria Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/about-listeria) What is Listeria and how does it cause food poisoning? Listeria is a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is ubiquitous and can grow under either anaerobic (without oxygen) or aerobic (with... ###### [The Incidence of Listeria Infections](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/the-incidence-of-listeria-infections) How common are Listeria infections? Listeria bacteria are found widely in the environment in soil, including in decaying vegetation and water, and may be part of the fecal flora of... ###### [The Prevalence of Listeria in Food and the Environment](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/listeria-prevalence) Listeria bacteria are common in nature. Listeria monocytogenes is omnipresent in nature; it is found widely in such places as water, soil, infected animals, human and animal feces, raw and... ###### [Transmission of and Infection with Listeria](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/transmission-of-and-infection-with-listeria) Listeria typically spreads to people through contaminated food or water, but can also be transmitted from mother to fetus. Except for the transmission of mother to fetus, human-to-human transmission of... ###### [Who is Most at Risk of Becoming Ill with Listeria?](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/who-is-most-at-risk-for-becoming-ill-with-listeria) The elderly, pregnant women, and anyone immunocompromised is most at risk for contracting Listeria. Several segments of the population are at increased risk and need to be informed so that... ##### Outbreak Database #### Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks? The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ View Outbreak Database ](https://outbreakdatabase.com)