CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island – A Prince Edward Island politician says U.S. potatoes are being repackaged in Canadian bags and sold fraudulently in Canada.

Opposition Leader Ron MacKinley brought a bag of potatoes into the provincial legislature Tuesday to make his point.

He said Nova Scotia packers told him they were selling U.S. potatoes in Canadian packaging.

“I have my sources,” MacKinley told reporters. “I’ve got not only the bag, but the potatoes and the bill of sale for the proof.”

If MacKinley is correct, the potatoes are most likely being repackaged because many Canadian consumers are refusing to buy U.S. potatoes because of the potato wart crisis.

The U.S. government closed its border to potatoes from Prince Edward Island in October, prompting a number of Canadian retailers to stop selling U.S. potatoes.

Doug Steadman, a spokesman for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said MacKinley’s allegations are being taken seriously.

He said his agency will investigate if MacKinley tells him where he got the potatoes.