Local and nation-wide rallies demand action against grocery price gouging
Rallies took place nationwide on Saturday, as concerned citizens demanded “the biggest grocery chains to stop price gouging hardworking Canadians.”
Low-income advocacy group, The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), organized the movement which spanned nine cities across the country.
One of the speakers at the rally near Sobeys at 94 Bridgeport Road East in Waterloo was Ezekiel Gonzolez, a board member of Waterloo Region ACORN. He emphasized the dire situation faced by many Canadians.
"People are having to choose between paying bills and rent or being able to have enough to eat," he said.
ACORN Canada is urging the federal government to take action by imposing taxes on excessive profits made by grocery chains and implementing price caps on essential food items.
“What's the excuse? Europe has already been doing it for quite a while. Why can't we do it here?” questioned Gonzolez.
In response to the nationwide rallies, a spokesperson for Sobeys said in a statement: “We respect the right to peaceful protest. We also expect that demonstrators will not impede customers coming into our stores so that they can go about their shopping without interference or intimidation. The safety of our teammates and customers is our top priority.”
Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, cautioned against further taxing grocers, warning that it could lead to even higher grocery prices. He pointed out the thin profit margins in the grocery sector, averaging around 2.53%.
“The windfall tax in the grocery sector is a dangerous thing for consumers because the (profit) margins are extremely low,” he explained.
Charlebois also highlighted the challenges of implementing price caps in a country with thousands of stores.
“We have 20,000 stores in Canada. How do you actually regulate all that stuff?You would discourage competition. As soon as you start playing around with market conditions, it will discourage players from entering the market,” said Charlebois. “The grocery store is part of the problem, it is not the problem.”
Instead of focusing solely on taxation and price regulation, Charlebois advocated for a grocery code of conduct to foster competition and fairness within the industry. He believes such measures could support independent grocers and create a more balanced relationship between suppliers and retailers.
Canada's first-ever grocery code of conduct is currently in the final stages of development, but it faces pushback from major players like Walmart Canada and Loblaw Companies Ltd. These companies argue that the code could inflate food prices by over $1 billion for Canadian consumers.
For more information on Canada's grocery code of conduct development, see here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6979388.1722030190!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before residents can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes 'for several weeks.'
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga, Ont.: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Ont., Peel police say.
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn for $146,000 water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six-figure water bill.
FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet during assassination attempt
Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump’s near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president’s ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former U.S. president’s injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Turpel-Lafond won't sue CBC over Cree heritage report that took 'heavy toll': lawyer
The lawyer for a former judge whose claims to be Cree were questioned in a CBC investigation says his client is not considering legal action against the broadcaster after the Law Society of British Columbia this week backed her claims of Indigenous heritage.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.