Ottawa - The Council of Canadians applauds the decision of the Prince Edward Island Legislative Assembly to hold committee hearings into the pros and cons of genetically engineered (GE) products.

The committee will set the dates for hearings today. This landmark discussion could inform a decision that would establish PEI as Canada’s first GE-free province.

Last week, members of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Environment issued a call for public input into their discussion.

"Ottawa has ignored Canadians’ repeated calls for a public debate on GE foods. The federal government has done nothing to address concerns about the potential harmfulness of these products to our health, environment, and economy,” says Nadège Adam of the Council of Canadians. "Canadians have had no choice but to take matters into their own hands."

Islanders are not alone. Several communities across Canada have already passed municipal resolutions restricting the cultivation of GE foods. Powell River, BC became Canada’s first GE-free zone last year when its municipal government declared itself a "GE-free crop area."

"GE foods offer no benefits to consumers," says Leo Broderick, PEI Council of Canadians chapter spokesperson and member of the PEI Coalition for a GE-Free Province. "They contaminate our environment and have jeopardized our agricultural exports. We, as Islanders should seize this opportunity to protect our environment from this threat."

PEI’s debate is especially important now, as the biotechnology industry pushes ahead with genetically engineered crops and animals at break-neck speed. Ottawa will soon consider GE fish for commercialization. AquaBounty has announced its plans to submit an application for the commercial release of their "AquAdvantage" salmon in the near future. The company is developing salmon genetically engineered with a growth hormone to induce rapid growth traits. AquaBounty’s fish farming facilities are based in PEI.

"Knowing that Ottawa has never turned down an application for the commercial release of a GE product, we’d be fools to wait on Ottawa to stop this GE fish nightmare," says Broderick. "A ban on all GE products is our only guarantee against GE salmon."

Islanders are joining a growing number of people around the world who, disillusioned by non-responsive governments, are working to protect their communities against the spread of GE products. The movement is gaining momentum, with communities in the United States, Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia and Africa having already declared themselves "GE-free zones."

"We’ve seen this happen all over Canada with communities banning smoking in public places and the cosmetic use of pesticides. GE foods deserve the same fate," says Adam.

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