TORONTO - Ontario Health Minister David Caplan says he is concerned about reports the federal Conservatives intend to allow the food industry to police itself.
Federal Health Minister Tony Clement says new legislation would create a national food tracking system.
He says it would put together a system to track food through the supply chain allowing authorities to quickly deal with it if a problem is found.
A secret federal cabinet document leaked last month suggested the Conservatives intend to hand responsibility for inspections over to the food industry.
The government has neither confirmed nor denied the details of its planned changes.
All six deaths conclusively linked to the outbreak have been in Ontario.
An additional nine deaths across Canada -- six in Ontario, and one each in B-C, Saskatchewan and Quebec -- remain under investigation for possible links to the outbreak.
Two new confirmed cases in Ontario and one more in Quebec have brought the total of known cases with a definitive link to the outbreak to 29.
More than 220 meat products have been recalled by Maple Leaf Foods or companies that used recalled meat.
