(Whitehorse) Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay says the government will provide $1.2 million in funding to support the creation of the office that will oversee the Grocery Store Code of Conduct.
Mr. MacAulay made the announcement a day after it was announced that all of Canada’s major grocers had agreed to sign up to the voluntary code.
The industry-led code aims to establish guidelines for fair relationships between food retailers and suppliers.
For months it seemed unclear whether all the major grocers would sign, raising fears the government would have to intervene.
Michael Graydon, president and CEO of the Food, Health and Consumer Products Association of Canada and chair of the code’s interim board, says there is a lot of work to do before the code comes into force next year.
He says the funding will support work to set up the office that will oversee the code, including hiring an arbitrator.