Retail Council Dismisses NDP Claims of Corporate Grocer Greed

“Tired and predictable.”

That’s how the Retail Council of Canada characterizes Jagmeet Singh’s call for a cap on the price of food staples, and “attempt to blame food price inflation on the grocery industry.”

The federal NDP leader is accusing Canadian grocery chains of corporate greed, saying if Ottawa can’t convince grocers to bring down their prices, then caps should be placed on essential food items.

(Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh)

The Atlantic director with the Retail Council of Canada, Jim Cormier, says the NDP is off-base in suggesting chains are jacking up prices to benefit their bottom line, citing what he says is plenty of evidence to the contrary.

“We’ve been pointing out to the NDP and other parties, both provincial and federal, that it’s obviously a very multi-faceted problem,” says Cormier.

He cites global factors as the driving force behind high inflation on food, fuel, feed and fertilizer, the costs of which have “gone through the roof.”

Cormier says climate events and the war in Ukraine have “had a huge impact on the European and African bread basket.”

Nonetheless, says Cormier, “grocers have been working to control food price inflation and we’re starting to finally see the results of that.”