(Ottawa) Summoned to Ottawa by the Trudeau government, the bosses of the five major grocery store chains were stingy with comments upon their arrival in the federal capital on Monday morning.
Three of them flew by, without saying a word. The other two, including Metro CEO Eric La Flèche, simply said that they hoped for a “productive meeting” with the Minister of Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, and the Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland.
The latter stopped to make a brief statement to the journalists’ microphone. “Our government will do everything [son] power so that prices can stabilize,” she said before hurrying to rush into the government building where the meeting is being held.
PHOTO PATRICK DOYLE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Chrystia Freeland
Criticized from all sides for his inaction in the face of rising food prices, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last Thursday summoned the bosses of major grocery chains until Thanksgiving to develop a plan to reduce prices of the grocery basket.
“The inflation rate has fallen, but the bill is still too high for food. Meanwhile, major grocery chains are making record profits. These profits should not be made on the backs of people who earn money to feed their families,” the Prime Minister lamented.
And if they fail to come up with satisfactory solutions, the government will crack down, he warned: “Let me be very clear: if their plan does not provide real relief […], well, we will take action. We are not excluding anything, including tax measures.”
Among the skeptics are agricultural companies and food processors, as reported last Friday by the Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) and the Food Transformation Council of Quebec (CTAQ).
“The discussion envisaged by the Prime Minister will not lead to lasting and lasting solutions if the financial pressure experienced by the first two links in the food chain is not taken into account quickly,” declared the President in a press release. general of the UPA, Martin Caron.
On this parliamentary return day, Monday, the cost of living is on everyone’s lips. New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh is to table a private member’s bill this afternoon “aimed at ending the privileges of CEOs of grocery chains and lowering food prices for Canadians”