With the defeat yesterday of federal Liberal MP Charles Caccia's House of Commons Bill C-287 for labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMO), pressure is mounting for Victoria to move its own labeling bill. A new Greenpeace poll shows that 95 per cent of Canadians support GMO labeling.

Last April former BC Atty.-Gen. Graeme Bowbrick introduced Bill 18; the Genetically Engineered Food Labeling Act. The public were asked to submit comments by July 31, but so far the provincial government has not released any details of the feedback. BC Solicitor-General Richard Coleman is now responsible for GMO labeling.

"The Minister (Coleman) has asked that information on public feedback not be released at this time," said Jillian Stewart, Senior Policy Analyst for the Ministry of the Solicitor-General. "The comments we have received, however, are consistent with existing polling." Stewart said it is now up to Premier Gordon Campbell and the Liberal cabinet to decide if Bill 18 will be re-introduced at the next session of the BC Legislature.

"We will be asking Victoria to re-introduce their GMO labeling Bill," said SPEC director Scott Nelson. "All the polls we looked at were clear. Most people want to be able to choose to consume GMO foods. We believe people have a right to know what is in the food they purchase. Now that Ottawa has rejected Bill C-287, Victoria has an opportunity of taking a lead on a basic issue of consumer protection.

"When Bill 18 was first publicized last April," Nelson said, "the government asked for feedback. Thousands of British Columbians contacted us for information and we forwarded their concerns to Victoria. But now the government is saying they aren't prepared to tell us the nature of that feedback, or how many people responded."

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Information:
Scott Nelson 604 736-7732, 604 618-5227

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