--- title: "Ontario Says Federal Government of Canada Isn’t Cutting It When It Comes To Food Safety; Hearings on Listeria Outbreak Set For Monday" date: 2009-04-17T10:52:36-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/ontario-says-federal-government-of-canada-isnt-cutting-it-when-it-comes-to-food-safety-hearings-on-listeria-outbreak-set-for-monday" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / # Ontario Says Federal Government of Canada Isn’t Cutting It When It Comes To Food Safety; Hearings on Listeria Outbreak Set For Monday ![](http://www.goldnuggetshop.com/images/gold-maple-leaf-coin-back.jpg)We love Canada and the UK. After every major outbreak, there is always some high level inquiry or royal commission to hear from. **This time, its Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, making the report on the** [listeria](http://www.about-listeria.com/) **outbreak blamed on the meat cutting machinery at Maple Leaf Foods Toronto plant.** Dr. Williams paints Canada’s top medical officer as being such a weak link in the chain that Maple Leaf Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael McCain had to pick up the slack in managing the outbreak that eventually spanned Canada and killed 21 people. Canada’s newspaper of record, **The Globe & Mail**, summed it up this way: *The report, released just before public hearings begin on Monday in Ottawa into food safety, singles out the Public Health Agency of Canada for not playing a leadership role in an outbreak that spread to seven provinces, leaving 56 mostly-elderly individuals sick and 21 dead. Ontario was hardest hit, with 16 of the deaths, and most of the victims were in long-term care homes or in hospitals before becoming ill.* The report predicts more outbreaks in the future. “Cross-jurisdictional outbreaks, such as the listeriosis outbreak lat year, are likely to become more common because of the trend to large-scale food manufacturing and processing,” Dr. Williams said. For more on the report and the hearings coming up on Monday in Canada, go [here](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090417.wlist0417/BNStory/National/home). ### 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 Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/kroger-and-walmart-pasta-listeria-outbreak) [Listeria Outbreak linked to Kroger and Walmart Chicken Fettuccine](https://marlerclark.com/listeria-outbreak-linked-to-kroger-and-walmart-chicken-fettuccine) [Fresh & Ready Foods linked to California and Nevada 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. 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