New Democrat MP Alistair MacGregor says he has reviewed the major grocers' plans to stabilize prices and was unimpressed by what was in them. MacGregor rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA – New Democrat MP Alistair MacGregor says he has reviewed the major grocers’ plans to stabilize prices, and he’s unimpressed by what is in them.
MacGregor, the NDP agriculture critic, spoke to reporters this afternoon ahead of a committee appearance by Michael Medline, the president and CEO of Empire Company Ltd., which owns Sobeys and other grocery store chains.
Medline’s appearance comes after the committee requested that the top execs of major grocers testify before the committee once again on their plans to stabilize prices.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced this fall that major companies, including Loblaw, Metro, Empire, Walmart and Costco, had shared plans to tackle rising prices that included discounts, price freezes and price-matching campaigns.
MacGregor says grocers agreed to share the plans with members of the House of Commons agriculture committee.
He says that while the committee agreed to keep the contents of the plans confidential, MPs could have found much of what was in them by reviewing flyers or doing a Google search.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2023.
