Facing fallout from the deadly listeria outbreak over plans to let the food industry police itself, the federal agriculture minister responded to what he called an "off the wall" interpretation of the government's intentions.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told Canada AM on Friday that criticism from members of the federal Liberals, including leader Stephane Dion, over a leaked document that reportedly considered handing over inspection duties to the processing companies is groundless.

"It came out of a strategic review document that came out of the CFIA and my department last fall," said Ritz. "There are no cuts, no changes anticipated other than doing a better job with the resources that we have."

Ritz said the document was outdated and never went forward. He said the government has actually gone the opposite way of what's alleged -- they've added 200-plus inspectors and another $113 million into product safety and recall powers for Health Canada.

Dion told reporters in Toronto on Thursday that the Conservatives backing the alleged self-inspection plan are the same ones who were in Ontario's provincial Conservative government during the tainted water crisis in Walkerton, Ont. that killed seven people and more than 2,000 seriously ill.

Dion pointed out Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Environment Minister John Baird and Health Minister Tony Clement as "the same people . . . who are responsible (for) what happened in Walkerton."

More cases expected

Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health said more cases of listeriosis will likely be reported as the result of a nationwide outbreak of the potentially dangerous bacterial infection.

At a press conference at the Ontario legislature on Thursday afternoon, Dr. David C. Williams said he expects more cases to be reported in the coming weeks because listeriosis has an average incubation period of three weeks.

Williams said at the press conference that the government first became aware of a problem with the bacteria on July 25 thanks to the province's post-SARS tracking system.

He credits the system put in place following SARS with detecting the current listeriosis outbreak after he said a pattern began to emerge from health units across southern Ontario.

"When we got up to eight or nine in the later part of July that's when we started asking health units, 'could you go back and get us some more information," Williams said.

But the opposition is criticizing the government for taking too long to inform the public.

"There's been some sort of failure to communicate in a timely manner so that the public could be made aware, so that we could make the choices to make ourselves safe," NDP MPP Gilles Bisson said Thursday.

Bacteria confirmed at Toronto plant

Williams confirmed that listeriosis was the underlying cause of death of one person in Ontario, but cannot say for sure where the outbreak started.

The person who died from the outbreak was an elderly woman from Hamilton, Ont.

Williams said he could not confirm a direct link with the recall at the Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto.

The bacteria has been discovered at the Toronto plant but it has not been confirmed if it is the same one that caused the outbreak.

Regardless, Maple Leaf has recalled about 500,000 kilograms of meat.

Sanitization efforts continue at the plant, believed to be the "probable source" of the listeria outbreak.

"We have about 80 employees working 24 hours a day under the supervision of a microbiologist and a sanitation expert to do three complete cycles of sanitation," Maple Leaf Foods representative Linda Smith told Canada AM on Friday.

On Sunday, Maple Leaf issued a recall of its Sure Slice roast beef and corn beef products, which are produced at the Toronto plant, after they tested positive for low levels of listeria.

The products that were recalled came from the two specific production lines at its Toronto plant.

The lines in question, lines 8 and 9 have been dismantled as are many of the other lines as various cleaning procedures that taking place, said Smith. The plant will remain closed over the weekend for an additional fogging spray.

Eight cases have been ruled out, said Williams, but 17 cases of listeriosis have been confirmed: 13 in Ontario, two in British Columbia and one each in Saskatchewan and Quebec.

One case involves a pregnant woman in her 40s, but Williams could not provide details of her condition.

The two cases in B.C. are hospital patients, one in Fort St. John and the other in Prince George, who said they were served the deli meats as part of the regular meal service.

Dr. David Bowering, the chief medical officer for Northern Health in B.C., said the two patients contracted the same strain of the bacteria found in the Toronto plant while they were being treated in hospital for more serious conditions.

Symptoms of listeriosis include nausea, vomiting, cramps and fever.

The recalled products were produced from June 2 onward.

The 23 Maple Leaf products have an establishment number of 97B and have best before dates ranging from Sept. 30 to Jan. 1, 2009.