NDP: While corporate grocery stores rake in profit, hardworking families in Atlantic Canada struggle with high food costs

This past year alone, food bank usage in Newfoundland and Labrador has increased by 27 per cent

ST. JOHN’S – On Tuesday, Canada’s NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was outside a Dominion grocery store—a subsidiary of Loblaw— with NDP candidate for St. John’s East, Mary Shortall, presenting New Democrats’ plan to lower grocery bills for families across the country.

New Democrats want to lower grocery bills by bringing more competition into the grocery industry, increasing fines for price-fixing, overcharging and other abuses against Canadian consumers, introducing more price transparency, and taxing excess profits to get money back in people’s pocket with an ongoing increase of the GST rebate.

“People are cutting back and making difficult choices to try and keep up with rising grocery prices. They’re doing everything right, but still falling further behind,” said Singh. “And I understand why Canadians are angry when they hear Galen Weston being described as ‘underpaid’ while getting $11.79 million a year in salary – that’s 431 times his average employee’s wage!

And Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know all about that unfairness. Here in St. John’s, when Dominion workers were advocating for a better wage—it was reported that employees had to use food banks because they weren’t making ends meet. That’s not okay. There are things the federal government can do – the Liberals just need the will to stand up for people.”

Last month, food prices increased yet again to 9.1 per cent. While families struggle to absorb another blow to their budgets, corporate grocery stores have been increasing their profits. Canada’s three largest grocers—Loblaws, Sobeys, and Metro—collectively earned more than $3.6 billion in profits last year.

“Trudeau has stood by while people are racking up bigger bills at the till, and grocery CEOs haul in more money than ever before,” said Shortall. “And Pierre Poilievre is a career politician who was a key member of Harper’s government for nine years – he's part of the problem. He's not on your side and won’t help families — he believes in bigger profits for corporations fueled by low paycheques for workers.

Ottawa should work for you — not wealthy CEOs and ultra-rich corporations. That’s why New Democrats fought to get people two additional GST rebates – putting almost $1,000 back in 11 million people’s pockets. But we’re not stopping there; we’ll keep pushing to lower groceries bills for you and your family.”