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Ambassador hopes U.S. border will soon open to Canadian beef
TORONTO, Nov 09, 2004 (The Canadian Press via COMTEX) -- The United States could reopen its border to live Canadian beef imports "in a fairly short period of time," the American ambassador to Canada said Tuesday.
"All I can say is there's light at the end of the tunnel; the process is moving forward," Paul Cellucci told reporters after meeting with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. That prompted McGuinty to quip as he stood beside Cellucci: "There's light at the end of the tunnel; it's just not moving at the speed of light."
During a 45-minute meeting with Cellucci, McGuinty said he stressed the importance of reopening the U.S. border to Canadian cattle and beef products.
The border has been closed to Canadian beef since a single case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, was found in a cow from Alberta in March 2003.
"This is something that has caused significant financial hardship to Ontario farmers, and significant stress on the family farm," McGuinty said.
Cellucci couldn't say if the border would be reopened to live cattle from Canada before the end of the year.
"It's an administrative process without fixed dates, (and) I don't want to raise expectations because it's not an exact date."
Cellucci said the U.S. Department of Agriculture is in the process of submitting a new rule to the Office of Management and Budget calling for the reopening of the border so it can be published, and then face an expected challenge.
"The goal of the rule, that is strongly supported by the president and the Department of Agriculture, is to restore this beef trade with Canada," Cellucci said.
He predicted that U.S. federal court would only stop the rule from taking effect if the procedures were not followed to the letter.
"We're dotting the i's and crossing the t's, so this rule, once it's published, can take effect and the challenge will not be upheld."
Cellucci estimated it could take 30 to 60 days after the rule is published for the border to be reopened, and said he is confident any challenge would not be upheld.
"Most of the beef industry in the United States, the president and his administration, very much support this rule."
The American ambassador also said it is important for Canada and the United States to work together on testing and marketing cattle in the future.
"We need to work on protocols, both here in North America and internationally, so we do not allow isolated cases of BSE to close borders," Cellucci said.
"We also need to get together on the science so that here in North America, when we market our beef abroad, we're consistent with the testing and the science."
Cellucci also said officials from both countries are still looking for a date for President George W. Bush to visit Canada, and suggested it could come before he is sworn in for his second term in mid-January.
Cellucci also dismissed as a media obsession reports of Americans wanting to move to Canada because Bush defeated John Kerry in the Nov. 2 presidential election.
"I think the press is probably writing a lot about this, and perhaps a few people will decide to move to Canada," he said.
"The fact of the matter is that there are hundreds of thousands of Canadians living in the U.S., and there are already hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens living in Canada."
TORONTO, Nov 09, 2004 (The Canadian Press via COMTEX) -- The United States could reopen its border to live Canadian beef imports "in a fairly short period of time," the American ambassador to Canada said Tuesday.
"All I can say is there's light at the end of the tunnel; the process is moving forward," Paul Cellucci told reporters after meeting with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. That prompted McGuinty to quip as he stood beside Cellucci: "There's light at the end of the tunnel; it's just not moving at the speed of light."
During a 45-minute meeting with Cellucci, McGuinty said he stressed the importance of reopening the U.S. border to Canadian cattle and beef products.
The border has been closed to Canadian beef since a single case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, was found in a cow from Alberta in March 2003.
"This is something that has caused significant financial hardship to Ontario farmers, and significant stress on the family farm," McGuinty said.
Cellucci couldn't say if the border would be reopened to live cattle from Canada before the end of the year.
"It's an administrative process without fixed dates, (and) I don't want to raise expectations because it's not an exact date."
Cellucci said the U.S. Department of Agriculture is in the process of submitting a new rule to the Office of Management and Budget calling for the reopening of the border so it can be published, and then face an expected challenge.
"The goal of the rule, that is strongly supported by the president and the Department of Agriculture, is to restore this beef trade with Canada," Cellucci said.
He predicted that U.S. federal court would only stop the rule from taking effect if the procedures were not followed to the letter.
"We're dotting the i's and crossing the t's, so this rule, once it's published, can take effect and the challenge will not be upheld."
Cellucci estimated it could take 30 to 60 days after the rule is published for the border to be reopened, and said he is confident any challenge would not be upheld.
"Most of the beef industry in the United States, the president and his administration, very much support this rule."
The American ambassador also said it is important for Canada and the United States to work together on testing and marketing cattle in the future.
"We need to work on protocols, both here in North America and internationally, so we do not allow isolated cases of BSE to close borders," Cellucci said.
"We also need to get together on the science so that here in North America, when we market our beef abroad, we're consistent with the testing and the science."
Cellucci also said officials from both countries are still looking for a date for President George W. Bush to visit Canada, and suggested it could come before he is sworn in for his second term in mid-January.
Cellucci also dismissed as a media obsession reports of Americans wanting to move to Canada because Bush defeated John Kerry in the Nov. 2 presidential election.
"I think the press is probably writing a lot about this, and perhaps a few people will decide to move to Canada," he said.
"The fact of the matter is that there are hundreds of thousands of Canadians living in the U.S., and there are already hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens living in Canada."
