General

Opposition granted emergency debate on beef recall crisis

OTTAWA – The House of Commons will hold an emergency debate tonight on the beef recall crisis.

Speaker Andrew Scheer has accepted an opposition call for a special debate on the massive recall of tainted beef from an Alberta packing plant.

Opposition MPs have been hammering away at the government all week over its handling of the situation, billed as the largest food recall in Canadian history.

They claim government funding cuts to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have made the problem worse.

The government insists it has actually increased the number of food inspectors and strengthened protections.

House of Commons rules limit emergency debates to important matters requiring urgent consideration, making them relatively uncommon.

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