New Democrats pass motion to bring grocery CEOs before parliament

NDP Food Price Inflation critic Alistair MacGregor made the following statement in reaction to a successful NDP-led motion extending the investigation into food prices and corporate greed to compel the CEOs of Loblaw, Metro and Empire to answer questions in Ottawa:

“Canadians are cutting back on their usual grocery lists and stretching their paychecks even further to get less for their families. But all the while, these grocery CEOs are making more money than they ever have before. It just doesn’t add up.

After CEOs of Canada’s largest grocery chains snubbed the NDP-led investigation on the rising costs, we’re now compelling them to testify, so we can get real answers for you on why your bills are going up.

When Loblaw froze the prices on all No-Name products, Canadians saw firsthand that these companies do control the markup on food prices. Now they’ve lifted the freeze, and our families are bracing for the steep increase.

The Liberals have refused to hold these grocery giants to account. The Liberals could introduce a tax on excess profits – taking away the incentive to gouge you. And the Conservatives only want to make it so that grocery corporations pay even less tax on their huge profits.

While Conservatives and Liberals side with grocery giant CEOs, New Democrats are getting to the bottom of high grocery bills and fighting to get those prices down.”