New Democrats fighting for Canadians families, not rich grocery CEOs

OTTAWA – Yesterday, NDP Agriculture and Agri-food Critic Alistair MacGregor secured a committee investigation into how corporate greed is driving inflation in the grocery sector. As the cost of groceries continues to rise, Canadian families are struggling to put food on the table. MacGregor says this investigation is an important first-step in helping families who are struggling to pay for their groceries get answers. Canadians are demanding accountability on why they have to make tough choices about what they can and cannot afford, while big grocery chains are making billions of dollars in profit.

“Canadian families have been doing everything right, but they just can’t keep up with their grocery bill,” said MacGregor. “The price of food is sky-high, and the wealthy CEOs of huge grocery chains are making millions of dollars in bonuses. It doesn’t make sense and it shouldn’t be this way. That’s why New Democrats called for this investigation. When times are tough it shouldn’t be Canadian families who pay the price while the ultra-rich CEOs just keep getting richer. New Democrats will get to the bottom of rising grocery costs for Canadians.”

The CEO of Sobeys made more than $8 million last year – 15 per cent more than the year before. But instead of giving his employees a raise or lowering the price of your grocery bills – he took away their hero pay. But this is nothing new – big grocers all too often make massive profits off the backs of hardworking Canadians – several have even been investigated for bread price-fixing. Yet, the Liberals and Conservatives keep siding with rich CEOs instead of hardworking Canadians. When New Democrats urged them to make rich CEOs pay their fair share, the Liberals and Conservatives refused.

“With this investigation happening, we have a chance to get real insight into why people’s grocery bills are going up. New Democrats want to hear from the CEOs and executives, food producers, unions representing grocery workers and anyone involved in the process of getting food onto your table. This is a chance to hold those at the top accountable and discover who is actually benefitting from these high food prices. Canadian families want as much information as possible about where their hard-earned money is going. We will keep fighting to make sure rich CEOs are paying what they owe, and that workers and families have the respect they deserve.”